Evangelion: Beneath the archangel's wing
by Jerricom
Summary: Tokyo coming under Angel assault. Gendo and his wife run NERV. Misato and Ritsuko at odds. SEELE is preparing for the Human Instrumentality Project, but not even they can control the future; will they succeed? Can Shinji overcome his fear of Unit-01; can Rei restrain Unit-00's inner demon; and will Mari recieve any sort of character development whatsoever? Read and find out!
1. EVA (chapter 1)

Author's note.

This story has existed in the past. I wrote five chapters and then left the story on ice. Recently I came back and read it over, wrinkled my dignified nose at the writing quality, and decided to re-write those five chapters. Said and done; here they are. I will get to finishing this story I hope, but one thing at a time; here are the five chapters already done and re-made.

Hope you enjoy!

End of author's note.

 _ **Evangelion: Beneath the archangel's wing**_

 _ **Chapter 1, prologue: EVA.**_

The sunlight strikes the young man right in the face as he exits the automatic train and he has to raise a hand to prevent the sun from blinding him completely. Throwing his gaze around, Shinji Ikari takes a moment to get his bearings, a task that isn't too difficult considering almost nobody else got off the train with him, and the station is fairly empty anyways. Hefting his backpack over his shoulders he heads for the main station building. _Not that I was expecting the red carpet, but this place seems oddly deserted_.

As earlier mentioned, he is Shinji Ikari. At 17 years of age and 'mostly fit' being the most generous way to describe his physique, he's a somewhat stereotypical example of a teenager his age. He sports a pair of ultramarine blue eyes and unruly brown hair, dressed in a white buttoned shirt over a black t-shirt, dark blue jeans and a pair of black sneakers.

Making it out of the railway station and into the not-so-much bustling city of Tokyo-3, Shinji once again looks around, and then takes up a picture from his left pocket. He eyes it for the omphtieth time since he got on the train. The small card displays the image of a young woman clad in flowing purple hair that goes well beyond her shoulders. Turning the card over is says to wait for 'Misato Katsuragi' at the railway station, she's the one to take Shinji to his dad, apparently. There's also a phone number. _Suppose I'll find a phone and call her._

As he walks, Shinji ponder whether he's happy or not about the fact that Misato is _not_ his babysitter who's going to take him home to his daddy from the recent class trip to the mountains. Oh no.

 _The only contact we've had in the past seven-eight years is through video chat, it's not been many hours in total, and now he just calls me in like this?_ Shinji thinks to himself, and finds a phone by a corner. Paying and dialling the number on the back of the photo, Shinji has to wait only a second or two before the call is picked up, a cheeerful young female voice responding, "This is Misato Katsuragi, hello!"

Feeling a little dumb at not knowing immediately how to respond, and then remembering that the situation is a tad unique, at least by his standards, he simply says "Shinji Ikari, I'm at the train station now, at a phone by a nearby corner. Your number was on the photo, so, uh, I figured I'd call."

"Ah, sweet! Just on time too. I'm already on my way, be there in a minute or two!" the Misato woman replies, and promptly hangs up, leaving Shinji with another confused and slightly dumb expression as he slowly puts the phone back, mumbling, "I'll just... Wait here then," to himself.

Very few cars populate the road that goes past the railway station, making it easy for Shinji to discern by the approaching sound the one that probably represents his ride home. Turning around he spies the blue car approaching, and with the sunlight aimed directly towards the driver Shinji can clearly make out the purple mass of hair and black sunglasses. _Yup, that's her alright._

The car slowly grinds to a halt right next to Shinji and the door swings open. "Shinji Ikari?" the woman asks, leaning to the side and craning her head to look up at Shinji as he steps up to the car and answers, "Yes, that's me. You're Misato?"

"That's right," she states in a cheerful tone, taking off her sunglasses, "Get in, I'll be taking you to your dad." She has dark green eyes, but more out of shyness than anything else Shinji does his best not to stare too much at the admittedly very beautiful twenties woman as he stoves his bags into the back seat before taking the seat next to Misato, who puts the car into gear and they roll off down the empty streets.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, Misato finally speaks up again, "So, Shinji.. I don't know what you've been told, but if you have questions regarding your father's work, I could have some answers for you."

At this, Shinji stirs from his own passive silence, and slowly turns his head towards Misato, "Oh, uhm... I guess the obvious question is: what exactly does he do?"

Misato takes a minute before she replies, evidently weighing how much she'll tell him. _That his work is very top-secret and out-of-the-way has never, ironically, been a secret_ , Shinji thinks as he waits for Misato to respond.

"I can't tell you any details," she soon says as expected, "but let's just say that he's the commander of one of _NERV_ 's five worldwide bases, NERV-3 to be exact. NERV is an organisation that has existed for about ten years, working on the very top cutting-edge science you'd probably never have heard about other than from me. All those cheesy mecha anime you've probably watched? We can make them happen."

"Really?" Shinji says, sceptical, "And what does he need _me_ for, who can't even get better than decent grades at math? Did my mother leave and he needs moral support?"

Misato takes a deep breath, almost as if gathering courage, and then plainly states that "He needs you to stand on the frontline of an upcoming war."

"What? What war? There has been no war in over a decade!" Shinji blurts out, scepticism replaced by distrust towards the purple-haired woman, "The Valentine Cease-fire treaty was signed at the end of it."

"You're going to have to trust me for now, kiddo. It'll be much easier to explain once we've-"

Misato is broken off mid-sentence by her phone ringing. She picks it up, looks at the screen, and her expression changes from calculated professionalism to a mix of concern and surprise, mumbling something about "why would _they_ be calling me" and brings the phone to her ear.

–

* * *

–

Slamming down the phone, the elderly man rises from his elevated position, and looks around the massive cavern of a command centre. One half is occupied by an empty void, which might seem like a strange waste of space. The other half is taken up by a set of elevated platforms set up in three levels, the man in question standing behind a plain metal desk on the uppermost, smallest level.

Nodding to himself, a sigh escapes his lips. _So it's finally starting, then_. He opens his mouth to speak, loud so that everyone even down at the bottom level can hear him, "I've just received a call from the JSSDF reporting an enormous object coming in from the sea, on a straight course for Tokyo-3. One message was send from a civilian plane, describing the object as a grotesque entity, a vaguely anthropomorphic creature almost as tall as a sky-scraper."

From the level below him, a woman barely out of her teens sitting at one of the three junior command officer stations speaks up, worry evident in her voice, "Angel, commander Fuyutsuki?"

"I assume so," the old man replies, and speaks up once more, this time activating a small mic attached to his ear that amplifies his voice so that it reaches every corner of the enormous room and into every speaker in the complex, "All combatants and command staff, report to your stations! Combat code One, red alert!"

Throughout the massive underground complex alarms go on, painting every corridor in red light as men and women abandon their idle activities, scrambling to their station and their duties. Inside the massive command centre, the empty half of the room is suddenly lit up by layers of holographic displays showing the city, the region the city occupies, the entirety of Japan, and the massive underground cavity below Tokyo-3, within which NERV lies. A viewscreen large enough to encompass the entire far wall also blinks to life, directed out towards the ocean.

"What is our situation?" Fuyutsuki asks calmly as he takes his seat again, pressing a button upon the keyboard on the desk before him.

"Enemy not yet detected by our own sensor stations. Judging by the reports, though, it won't stay that way for long. I'm guessing at contact within the hour," the reply comes from a man below Fuyutsuki, smartly and military-like.

The third officer present below Fuyutsuki speaks up now, "Interception systems operating at 20% efficiency. We can't bring any of the heavy guns to bear yet, they haven't been cleared for use."

"Very well," Fuyutsuki replies, "Someone get the commander up here! I'm calling Misato. I believe she's in town to pick up the fourth child at this time."

–

* * *

–

The car picks up speed, so much that it exceeds the speed limit. " **Holy crap, what's the freaking hurry?!** " Shinji half-screams as the car speeds down the roads, making turns that are to clumsy and hap-hazard for Shinji's comfort. Outside, every screen display's gone from displaying commercials or whatever to:

 **Evacuation code Red**

 **Please drop current activity and head for your designated shelter**

 **This is not a drill**

Voice completely lost of the earlier friendliness, there's now a flat professionalism about Misato that tells Shinji that something isn't right, "Well, I believe you'll be getting your answers sooner rather than later. What's presumed to be the enemy has been sighted off the coast and is heading for this city. I'm getting you to NERV HQ pronto, so civil introductions with the rest'll have to wait." Face hardened and eyes focused upon the road, _for all it helps her driving_ Shinji thinks, Misato changes the gears up one more level.

They continue in relative silence, Shinji finally mastering his nerves; the only noise being the roar of the engine, the agonised screams of the car's tires and the alarms outside still announcing the evacuation. The car eventually reach some sort of checkpoint, and once past it -Misato just flashed some card and they were let through- they enter a car-sized elevator, which takes them downwards in a rather steep descent.

And then there was light. Again.

Shinji can only sit and stare in awe, squeezing his face against the car's window, trying to take in as much of the massive underground cavity as he can. It's roughly dome-shaped, with the city sitting on top of the massive cave, the bottom floor being covered by roads, grass, even trees. Underneath the city, upon the floor of the cavern there is a chalk-white pyramid build next to an artificial concrete lake. The underground space is, all in all, large enough to encompass a large lake, an analogy that makes the actual lake down by the pyramid look like a swimming pool by comparison.

They continue along a rail path built into the side of the cavern, and eventually reach the ground, where they once again are taken underground, which seems a tad excessive to Shinji. Finally the car comes to a stop, and Misato parks the car inside the steel and concrete parking house. They both exit, Misato gesturing to Shinji to follow her into one of the elevators waiting for them. Misato keeps a hurried pace, and seem tense as the lift goes up.

After a moment's standing still however she suddenly relaxes, her shoulders slumping, and she turns her head down towards Shinji, "I'm sorry I just dropped you from my mental radar, there... The command central, Central Dogma as we call it, has received word from the Japanese military that a massive object is approaching Tokyo-3." She falls silent for a moment; with a low grunt she puts her hands on her hips, "I might as well tell you, we'll run into the others any minute now anyway. The being that's approaching… We believe it's one of a race of supernatural beings we call Angels. Your job here is to fight these beings." The frown comes again as Shinji gives Misato a confused stare, lasting a good five seconds, before Shinji slowly demands, "What..?"

"You will be the sole pilot of a war machine specifically designed to combat the Angels, something we call an evangelion. I'm taking you to our chief scientist so that we can give you some rudimentary practice before the Angel arrives. We will then send you out against the Angel in combat, with the support of the JSSDF." The flat professionalism again.

" **What?!"** Shinji blurts out upon hearing this, trying and failing to say something more; there's a few moments of perfect silence between the two as Shinji stares up at Misato, hoping that it's all some bad joke.

Misato's shoulders slump, and her face again hardens; she turns her eyes away from Shinji, back towards the elevator door. She suddenly seems sad, like one powerless to change a bad situation, "I'm sorry, Shinji. I like it no less than you do, but you won't be alone here, and you will be well-prepared. Well, that part depends partially on you."

Shinji opens his mouth to protest again, but is halted by the elevator stopping and the two being deposited into yet another featureless corridor. Misato picks up the pace, Shinji following, their shoes clacking against the metal floor. Shinji gives up trying to protest, for now, and instead asks, with a hint of irritated sarcasm, "I won't be alone, huh? And who's going to help me? NERV's chief scientist that I heard my mother mention in passing once?"

"Oh yes... _Ritsuko Akagi_." There's a rather clear indication in Misato's voice that these women aren't at the best of terms, "She heads this place's science division, while I am the head of military operations. The commander still has supreme power over this place, but he can't do everything on his own. And yes, she'll be helping during your fight with the angel as well."

"Okay," Shinji responds. And once again he's about to say something more when he's interrupted by rather narrowly rounding a corner – and running his face straight into someone's chest, plain surprise combined by the impact of batting your forehead against something like a ribcage nocking Shinji back so hard that he would fall, if not for being caught in the last second by Misato.

When Shinji regains his balance, a tall woman dressed in a labcoat, in her middle twenties with short, thick blonde hair stands before him, her right hand just falling from the point Shinji collided with. Next to her stands an even younger woman with black hair, not much taller or older than Shinji. They both looks just as surprised as Shinji probably does, but as the blonde turns to look upon Misato her face darkens ever so slightly, "Well, Misato. Just in time, it seems. And you have the fourth child with you."

"Yes I do. This is Ritsuko Akagi, by the way," Misato says in a _very_ dry and neutral manner, not taking her eyes off the latter. She folds her arms and motions with a small wave of her hand to the third woman, standing patiently and waiting next to Ritsuko, "And this is Maya Ibuki. She's a senior bridge officer here at NERV, and Ritsuko's assistant. Please follow her, she'll take you to your father."

Ritsuko nods off-handedly in confirmation at Maya, said woman turning on her heel, giving Shinji a warm smile and beckoning him over, and they both go down the corridor opposite to the one the two women came from.

Shinji glances at Maya briefly as they walk, and comes to the conclusion that his dad is not in fact commander of an organisation that will save humanity from invasion by the angels, but running his own personal harem. Great.

"I assume you've only met Misato, Ritsuko and me here, so far?" Maya suddenly asks a little shyly, clutching a folder close to her chest, her azure blue eyes directed directly at Shinji; knowing eyes, the eyes that can read you in an instant, "Uh.. Yeah," replies Shinji.

Flashing a small grin to go with her penetrating gaze, Maya continues, amusedly, "Well, don't worry. It's not like your father's running a harem here or anything."

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

Shinji and Maya having left, Ritsuko gestures to Misato down the corridor that Ritsuko and Maya came from, "Come on, Misato. The JSSDF defence committee wants to see you."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Misato turns and starts walking down the corridor, Ritsuko following right behind Misato, "Sounds important."

The blonde nods, keeping her neutral calm. The set of corridors they now enter is more populated than previously, doors lining the walls which occasionally deposit some NERV employee into the winding metal pathways. All of the regular NERV employees are wearing beige jackets with dark orange stripes at the shoulders and pants to match, whereas the women wear short beige skirts and white linen tights instead of the pants. Misato is dressed in a red bomber jacket with the same orange stripes over a tight-fitting formal black dress, while Ritsuko simply sports a white labcoat, dark blue sweater and skirt.

Distinguishing the dark brown formal uniform of NERV-3's deputy commander approaching with fast steps, they both slow down, walking ti meet him. "Deputy commander Fuyutsuki," Misato says at length, a small smile for the first time in a while crossing her face as she grabs the elderly man by the hand, shaking it briefly. Ritsuko and the deputy commander exchange a nod for greeting, and the three are off down the corridor again.

"You're looking good, Misato. How've you been holding up since you were out on assignment?" Fuyutsuki breaks into a small smile of his own, reminding Misato of a grandfather asking his step-children what happened during the last school trip. The question prompts a hearty chuckle from her, and she draws her hand through her flowing purple hair as she gathers her response, "Well, it took a while to get used to the western food and customs. I just hope I still remember how to act properly," she says with a grin.

"You probably shouldn't be too concerned, you might have learned a thing or two in Europe," Ritsuko breaks in, prompting Misato to spin on her heel, shout "Shut your face!" at Ritsuko and complete the turn on her heels to catch up to Fuyutsuki, having lost only two, maybe three steps on him. The deputy commander doesn't seem to mind the little outburst, but after a moment he does raise an eyebrow and turns his head calmly towards Ritsuko, falling a step behind Misato, "Speaking of cooking, Ritsuko... How are we doing with Unit-00? Getting any closer to cooking up any solution to the Vessel problem?"

"I believe so," she replies, pondering, "It won't be ready to be used for another two-three days, however. We're going to have to rely upon Unit-01 until then."

"Very well," Fuyutsuki says as they round another corridor, coming up to a large stair. When they reach the base, Misato grins to a halt and turns around, eyes affixed upon Fuyutsuki, "I need to ask... Judging by all this activity," Misato throws her arms out, gesturing at the significant traffic in the corridor, "I'll assume you weren't kidding when you called. So, why are you taking me to the JSSDF defence committee, and not Central Dogma?"

Ritsuko comes up to a still-not-moving Misato, giving earlier mentioned purple-hair a brief glance as she goes, and then looks up at the deputy commander, "Do you really believe it's the Angels?"

Fuyutsuki frowns ever so slightly, "Indeed I do. But we don't know for certain."

"What else could it be?" Ritsuko replies, folding her arms, her voice unusually harsh for a second.

"If I knew that..." Fuyutsuki bounces his gaze between the two women before him.

Misato folds her arms, expression as determined as her tone, "It's the Angels. And we're not ready."

"Not by a long shot..." Ritsuko injects with a gloomy undertone.

At this, Fuyutsuki chuckles a little to himself, knowing that one is foolish to argue with these two when they agree, and simply states, "Well I hope you aren't quite as adamant about that when you're asked by the defence committee. They need some at least relatively good news or they'll do something stupid. Let's go."

The two women exchange a quick glance, and then follows the deputy commander up the stairs. As they get to the top, Misato breaks the silence again, "Look, unless the committee's planning on talking the Angels to death, they're a waste of time. I should be up in Central Dogma and Ritsuko should be down helping Maya with Shinji and Unit-01."

Fuyutsuki's shoulders slump at this, and he turns to Misato, voice raised ever so slightly, " _Damn you and your impatience._ They're just scared. They haven't _seen_ what you've seen, only the reports, the data SEELE and you collected. It's all just theory to them," Fuyutsuki states in a matter-of-factly manner.

Once again Misato's eyebrows furrow into a frown directed at Fuyutsuki, voice borderline angry, "That why they've been constantly denying me promotion, denying NERV the budget it needs?"

Fuyutsuki raises a hand up in a defensive manner at this accusation, "You know that's not true. NERV, and especially you, lieutenant colonel, have been a rather sharp thorn in the side of their attempts to rebuild the Japanese military for the last decade. You should feel lucky that we have what we've got, and that we have _ONLY_ because we have the evangelions to show off. The fact that you're the sole survivor of the second impact, acting as the public face for an organization of mad scientists, hasn't helped either."

"Had we not had Unit-00 and Unit-00-X to keep the Third Angel locked up three years ago everything could've gone to hell, commander, and they know that," Misato snaps.

After a second's hesitation, Fuyutsuki responds, "I know that, Misato, and so does the defence committee. Had it not been for Rei's and Aoi's actions and your excellent command during the incident, and the JSSDF had to stop Azrael, NERV would have been dismantled there and then."

"That, and your good word, sir?" Ritsuko injects from behind Misato.

"Of course," Fuyutsuki nods, "I'm the last one that would see NERV be taken apart by government bureaucracy."

"I'm just a soldier, Fuyutsuki, not a politician," Misato states with an evident dislike for the latter in her voice.

Fuyutsuki nods, his face set, "I don't need you to be either. I just need you to do whatever the hell it takes to help stop the Angels."

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

 _I'm not sure if this is awesome or terrifying,_ Shinji thinks. He was taken along by Maya through a maze of corridors, a few elevators, to finally take a short boat ride across a small _lake_ inside what appeared to be a giant hangar. And then he was brought into the presence of what these people here at NERV call an Evangelion.

An anthropomorphic machine with a dominantly purple-and-green colour scheme over a skin-tight suit of armour stands before him. Tall as a small sky-scraper, pylons of some description attached to each shoulder, Shinji just decided that he could at least give it a trial run. Surely whatever's coming ain't got nothing on this?

"Shinji, please leave your shirt here, it'll get in your way in the entry plug," says Maya as she gestures to a trolley standing upon the bridge next to them. The evangelion is locked rather firmly in place by a pair of _freaking walls_ that holds the robot's arms in place, and a large bridge that serves to 1) lock down the Evangelion at the shoulders, just next to the neck and 2) enable people to get near the thing, as the Evangelion is drowned chest up in the same red liquid the earlier-mentioned lake was made up of.

Shinji went on to unbutton and remove his shirt, and in exchange he was given a headset-like device that Maya told him he is supposed to place on his head. "It augments your synchronization with the evangelion," Maya explains as if he's supposed to understand what that means, "Now, let's get you into the entry plug. I'll be going back to the command centre now, but we'll talk you through everything we do here, alright?"

"Uh, alright," Shinji responds dumbly as he's shown around the back of the Evangelion by another NERV employee, and up a ramp. Then there's a sound like a crane coming to life overhead, and looking up Shinji can see a holding arm lifting down a cylinder of some description, almost completely featureless exempt for a hatch that opens up before him as it stops. Inside there is nothing but a hatch at the bottom and a strange, sleek seat with a pair of butterfly wing controllers, one for each hand, with a set of buttons and a slit along the side of the seat where the controllers can move back and forth, Shinji guesses.

A part of the armour plating covering the Evangelion's upper neck opens up and reveals a hole in the evangelion's spine, where he assumes this cylinder is supposed to fit in. Shinji stands and inspects the cylinder tentatively, thinking _This day has been so full of crazy,_ _ **what am I doing,**_ incredulous and strangely giddy; he freely admits to himself that despite the fact that this is apparently for real and dangerous, it's every nerd's wet dream come to life before him.

"Shinji!"

A woman's voice echoes through the hangar, one that Shinji recognises. Turning around, he sees a woman walking up to him across the bridge, approaching the ramp he's standing on. Short brown hair and slender figure, Yui Ikari's shoes echo against the metal as she steps up to Shinji.

A small smile breaking out over his face, Shinji steps away from the entry plug, "Mother? You are here too? Where-" Shinji gets out no more as Yui embraces him tightly, " **It's so good to see you again** , **Shinji** , but to meet under these circumstances... I'm sorry."

"Yes, it would've been nice to have you here as insurance when they tried to convince me to get in the giant robot... I'm no kid, but I feel like getting the input from someone I _trust_ could be helpful."

Yui sigh softly, and lets Shinji go, staring maternally into his eyes, "I'm here now. Had the situation been any different, I would not be encouraging you to do this, but this is important. You are our last line of defence."

"Figured I'd find you both here," another voice comes from below. As Shinji and Yui turn their heads down towards the voice, Yui keeping a hand on Shinji's shoulder, it dawns on him that surely he's been set up _all along_. This _is_ the most elaborate and exaggerated late birthday party _ever_.

Down below, sporting a black formal jacket and pants, Gendo Ikari adjusts his amber glasses as he looks up at the two, "We don't have much time, I'm afraid. Shinji, I'm standing with your mother in that we need you in on this. I hate to say it, but introductions will have to wait. The Angel is still on its way." Shinji is still amazed at how he can look so stoic and yet sound supportive.

Yui sighs in resignation, and lets go of Shinji. She gives him one last look, as if trying to reassure him, and then she begins stepping down the stairs towards Gendo, who continues, "We'll be walking you through this. Now get in the giant robot, son," he finishes with a subtle smile, his voice cheery for a moment. And it does reassure Shinji.

Somewhat.

 _Awesome._

And so he climbs in.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

"Alright, like Ray Arnold said: 'hold on to your butts', we're starting synchronisation!"

Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba grins to himself as he taps a last button on his own keyboard, the main viewscreen coming to life, displaying the purple Evangelion as it stands now in an enormous, featureless white room, a gate just closing behind the Evangelion. The transport pad which is still holding the motionless mecha slowly sinks into the floor, and Shigeru gestures dramatically to the girl on the other side of the second level of the command bridge, "Take over, Maya."

Nodding, the short-haired girl swiftly taps in a few commands, a code, and then makes way for Ritsuko, who taps in one of her own. Yui then does the same, having arrived at the bridge together with Gendo. "The evangelion is cleared for synchronisation," she states, anticipation evident in her voice. "Ready, Shinji?"

A tense "Mhm" is the response they get from Shinji, who is now confined to the entry plug inside Unit-01.

"Beginning preliminary contact. First stage connection initialised."

"Roger," it comes from the third level, "filling the entry plug with LCL."

Shinji can, with increasing worry, notice how a bright amber liquid starts filling the entry plug from the bottom. "The hell is this? _**Why is there**_ **-** " and he gets out no more as the liquid gets over his head and he has to hold his breath, the western proverb that he's taken water over his head coming to mind.

After a moment, Ritsuko's voice comes in through the mic, "It's called LCL. It will act as a shock absorbent during combat. It's oxygenated, too; you can breathe it perfectly well."

"That's the truth, Shinji. It's harmless," Yui injects.

Fighting down the instinct that tells him _not_ to open his mouth because he's _about to freaking drown_ , Shinji has to take a moment to convince himself that his own mother wouldn't to do that. He finally opens his mouth, and instead has to fight down the urge to vomit as the liquid fills his lungs. But he does survive.

"Good," Maya continues, focusing intently on the scaling data streams on her console, "Connect main power."

"Connecting main power," Makato Hyuga announces, the third second-level bridge officer.

"Commencing secondary connections. A-10 connections nominal."

"Set the thought configuration to Japanese," Ritsuko says, hand on Maya's shoulder as they go on.

Maya taps in some command into her console, and then announces with anticipation, "Bi-directional circuits are open. All preliminary contacts established."

"Synchronization rate holding at.. 30%.. 35%.. 40%.. 42%!" Yui states with surprise and amazement, "Impressive. You're doing good, Shinji!" she adds with cheer unusual for someone usually so dignified.

"Uh.. Yeah, that's great, please tell me the magical rainbow ride i just took was normal?" Shinji sounds somewhat distressed, the small screen in the top right corner of the viewscreen showing him moving his head here and there, as if trying to discern whether his world is real or not.

And Yui can't help notice, with a smile growing on her lips, that the Evangelion's head is moving as well.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

Ritsuko's surprised that Shinji's learning to operate the Evangelion so quickly. Well, the term 'operate' being relative, he's just figured how to jump from one side of the room to the other. _Oh joy,_ she thinks. "Alright, Shinji, I want you to try to draw your knife. There's one stored inside each one of your shoulder pylons. Just think 'deploy knife', and then draw."

The evangelion ceases its ridiculous hopping about the test room, and stands as if petrified for a moment; the words 'KNIFE DEPLOYED' are after another moment displayed on the main viewscreen, and you can see the left shoulder pylon opening up at the front to reveal a handle. The Eva fumbles for a bit as it tries to draw the knife, and eventually succeeds, inspecting the stylish weapon as the edge begins to glow subtly white.

"That wasn't so hard... How do I put it back in there?" Shinji wonders, and Ritsuko is just about to respond when an angry red light starts blinking over at Shigeru's console; he hesitates a moment before answering, "The hostile's been sighted, approaching fast. It'll reach Tokyo-3 outskirts in approximately fifteen minutes."

"Blood pattern blue confirmed," Maya reports from her station.

"Well then. Training session's over, Shinji. Let's get the EVA to the launch pad." Walking over to Makato, Misato taps in a few commands of her own, then asks Makato, "Can you get a visual image of the target?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The viewscreen momentarily turns off, and then flashes to life again.

The Angel's still a little to far out for anyone to make out any details about the creature, but Misato can tell as much: it has the shape of a human torso, with what looks like a single leg hanging down from the 'hip', unmoving despite the Angel's rapid transit over the land. Its skin colour is a borderline black grey tint. She also thinks she can discern three pairs of thin, white appendages like bones sticking out from some point on the thing's back. She can see some sort of white lines going around the Angel's torso, but can't make out what they are, exactly. There is also a white dot between the Angel's 'shoulders', had it had arms.

Looking down at the ground, you can see rows of tanks lining up in the path of the approaching Angel. In the skies VTOLs soar through the evening gloom, and all at once missiles, rockets and tank fire hails down upon the Angel.

Then there's a point of light, centred upon the white dot on angel's upper chest, between the 'shoulders', and the ground vibrates ever so slightly as a massive explosion rips up the amassed tank columns, a pillar of pink energy shooting into the sky, and as it reaches the cloud layer it develops two horizontal pillars as well, taking the form of a radiant, crimson crucifix of pure energy.

"And so, it begins," Fuyutsuki repeats.

 _ **End of prologue chapter 1.**_


	2. The ultimate soldier (chapter 2)

Author's note.

Posting another chapter almost right away, just to gauge how many are actually reading this stuff (my views graph is bugged after the two-day 503 error nonsense) and to give you guys something as a way of celebrating that FFN is up again :) Usually I'll aim at a chapter per week, but it might become irregular at times; you never know how school can get in the way.

End of author's note.

 **Chapter 2, Prologue: The ultimate soldier.**

The peace and calm around Tokyo-3 is broken by the thundering roar of VTOL jets as they soar overhead, launching from hidden air bases while lines of tanks emerge on the roads, taking up firing positions on fields, along mountainside paths and on top of hills. Bomber aircraft hide above the cloud layer and artillery batteries hide amongst the trees.

The order to fire is given as a massive, beaked face comes around the corner of a nearby mountain pass. The VTOL jets release a swarm of missiles towards the creature, impacting against its chest without causing any apparent damage.

The aircraft scatter in pairs as the hidden artillery unleash a second volley of missile fire, at the same time as the tanks below open fire, raining high-explosive and armour-piercing death upon the Angel. It actually stops at this and it looks about itself in confusion over all the racket, however the artillery barrage only serves to scorch the surrounding mountains black with the rockets that missed and the tanks' shells bounce in every direction, shredding the mountains further, the giant remaining unharmed.

Seeing as nothing has hurt it thus far, the bombers up on high are called in, dropping monstrously oversized missiles on top of the Angel, the missiles sending cluster munitions every which way in a torrent of destruction while the main warhead detonates with such force that the thud can be felt all the way at NERV, flattening everything within almost a kilometre radius in the explosions. But still the Angel stands, its skin only showing very superficial scarring, looking angry if anything.

– –

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* * *

–

– –

 _If anything, we've just made it angry_ , Misato thinks, disgruntled, as the JSSDF assault peters out against the Angel. The three JSSDF generals sitting before the desk on the uppermost level, with Gendo and Fuyutski standing behind and beside them, huddle together in a moment's conference, having been shocked to say the least at the ineffectiveness of the Japanese army assault.

"Perhaps we should nuke it from orbit, just to be sure," Misato mumbles to herself, her face displaying a sarcastic grin. Ritsuko who's standing next to her nods, to Misato's surprise, "It'd be worth a shot at least."

And speaking of the devil, one of the three generals up above, a gaunt fellow, now leans forward on his spindly little arms and addresses Misato, "Lieutenant Colonel, we're authorizing a tactical N2 missile strike. You have a silo designed for ICBM launch installed in the eastern mountains, correct?"

Stiffly, Misato nods, "Correct, sir. We have a tier three N2 missile ready to launch."

"Very good," rumbles the second and burlier man to the left of the first, "Launch it at the target immediately."

"Yes, sir," Misato says with a salute and spins on her heel, turning towards Makato, "You heard the man. Send the launch codes, the target is the Angel. Quickly now, before it gets too close to the city."

Makato nods with a "Yes, ma'am!" of his own, typing away at his keyboard, sending an information packet down via his console to the command centre at the launch site, and not a minute later a small missile blasts out of the mountainside to the right of the screen. It soars into the evening sky, turns downwards towards the monster in the distance, and careens right into the Angel, like a crossbow bolt on fire – the order is given to darken the viewscreen and then there is a brilliant flash of light, and a massive plume of fire and dust is thrown into the skies as the Angel is consumed by the fires of hell itself.

The ground shakes for a moment, the viewscreen goes blurry, and a general cheer goes up amongst both the generals above and the junior command staff below. Even Misato allows herself a smirk. She glances up at and past the cheering generals, towards Gendo and Fuyutsuki; her smile promptly falters as she sees the bitter expressions on their faces.

"Receiving data on the target…" someone calls from below through the intercom. The room goes silent with anticipation, and then the screen goes back on; the Angel is still there, same spot. Misato can hear a low cacophony of groans and sighs as the screen zooms in on the creature, its skin now scorched and bloated but it is still very much alive. A slit in its chest, covered by a spidernet of bone, is slowly expanding and contracting, showing several folds of wet muscle within as it opens, and the thing's face, a small circle of white bone with a small beak and two circular little eyes, has been pushed aside and replaced by an almost identical one emerging from behind the old one, albeit larger and with a longer beak, that points straight downwards.

"Well shit," Misato says at length, folding her arms across her chest. She taps her right index finger against her left upper arm for a moment. "Status of the target?"

"Mostly intact," Makato reports, "It's lost approximately nine percent of its total mass, but energy output has actually increased – is appears to be regenerating for now, ma'am."

At this, the third general who had previously remained silent, a well-trained man in his primes but with a voice dark and authoritarian past his age, speak up, "This seems like the perfect time for the JSSDF to stand down and let you relieve us, lieutenant colonel," to the visible outrage of his to comrades, "You are ready to deploy, I presume?"

Misato shines up with a grin, and she can hear Ritsuko already starting to bark out orders to Shigeru and Maya. "We are as ready as we can be, sir," responds Misato, doing her outmost to sound confident. This is definitely a moment to shine a little in front of the brass, she thinks. She's well aware that they could be _much_ better prepared with regards to Shinji, but the generals don't need to be worried for nothing. The Angel is wounded and Shinji will have all the support he could wish for.

"Eva locked in place upon the launch pad," reports Shigeru. Ritsuko turns to Misato and gives a somewhat stiff thumbs-up, Misato nodding with the same cold formality, "Good." She approaches Maya's station, and picks up a small mic, wired to Unit-01's entry plug, "You ready for this, Shinji?" Misato feels a bit dumb the moment she asks, it's not like they can postpone the battle for the sake of his nerves.

"As good as I'll ever be, I guess. Let's just get this over with."

Gendo has taken position up on high with Fuyutsuki and Yui, replacing the generals who are now suddenly absent, hands clasped in front of his face in a calm and calculating fashion. He now takes the word, voice level and even, "Very well. Commence operation."

"Good luck, Shinji, and remember; you might be well-protected in there, but you will still partially feel the pain of the damage inflicted upon the Eva. Be careful," Yui injects just before Misato barks, "EVA Launch!"

Inside the entry plug, Shinji groans as he's pressed down against his seat hard, the Evangelion racing towards the surface up towards Tokyo-3 upon magnetic rails connected to the pad upon which the Eva stands, and then he's almost launched _out_ of his seat as the Eva reaches the surface. The top of the support structure the EVA's arms and legs are locked onto collides with a set of impact-absorbers, halting the giant robot in its ascent. Bolts automatically release from their locks and supermagnets are cut from power; the EVA sways a bit, then straightens, the chest heaving slightly as Shinji takes a deep breath to collect himself, even though the evangelion doesn't technically breathe itself.

It's dusk, and the steadily blinking lights of the various alarms and commercial-screens-turned-emergency-displays is the only source of illumination in the city, all other power appears to have been cut, and the streets are completely empty. The Angel hangs in the air a mere block away, staring passively at him. _Fun times,_ Shinji thinks to himself, sarcasm having been evident in his voice if he'd said it.

As Misato earlier described, it has a vaguely anthropomorphic shape, despite its lack of arms and possessing only one leg, bereft of use since the Angel seems to prefer levitation, a faint halo ever-present above its 'head'. Protruding from some point upon the thing's back are three pairs of slowly moving bony spines with at least half a dozen segments each, ending in spikes the size of the Eva's thumbs, looking a little like the skeletal remains of wings. And then there's the face, that white bony mask, perfectly circular and hollow eyesockets gazing upon Shinji as if measuring, pondering his every twitch. In the Angels' solar plexus region, having pushed out between the two folds of muscle you saw after the Angel got nuked, covered by a spiderweb layer of bone, one third of a perfectly smooth, crimson red crystalline orb can be seen, glowing faintly in the evening gloom.

"So… What now?" Shinji says, keeping his cool, trying and testing how detailed movements he can get from the Eva as it clenches and unclenches its fists and scrapes its foot along the ground a little. From the two-way com-link Misato's voice comes through, "Well, you got the movement part down last time, Shinji, and you're still armed with the knives. Your imagination is your only limitation here, to be honest. Go at 'im!"

The giant robot rolls its shoulders in response to Shinji doing the same, making some last mental preparations and frowning at Misato's sudden enthusiasm, something he definitely does not share. _Alright. Here goes_.

Eva takes a step forward, cracking the asphalt underneath it. Another step, the Eva's fists clench. A third, and the Eva starts picking up speed, quickly covering the distance between it and the Angel, the latter simply staring at the EVA as it comes rushing down the street. Shinji brings the Eva's clenched fist back, and upon reaching the Angel Shinji punches – and he encounters no resistance, the fist connecting head-on with the Angel's bony face, the resulting _'BANG'_ shattering several nearby windows as metal meets bone, and the Angel's back arcs as the upper body bends backwards with the blow in a really odd way, the Angel unresponsive to the punishment it's being subjected to.

Shinji presses the advantage and raises the EVA's foot, putting every ounce of force he can bring up in a kick right in the Angel's solar plexus, cracking several of the rib bones as the Angel is nocked back. It crashes into a nearby building, which falls down upon the black mass with the high-pitched, echoing crashing of breaking glass and whining of bending metal, covering the creature in metal, concrete and dust.

Shinji takes a moment to regain the EVA's balance, and to collect himself, thinking _That wasn't so bad,_ and turns his head to the side, facing the little mic in the side of the entry plug that's connected to Central Dogma, even allowing himself a tinge of pride in his tone, "Well, how'd I do?"

Yui's voice comes through almost immediately, "Good, but you _have_ to destroy that red orb to kill it! Otherwise it'll just regenerate its wounds."

"Okay, uh, no problem. One sec…" Shinji turns his face away from the mic and repeats the same procedure he did earlier, thinking _deploy knife_ , and the Eva's left shoulder pylon opens up to reveal a switchblade, single-bladed knife. He draws it, somewhat more elegantly than last time, and takes a step towards the pile of rubble under which the Angel lies.

But he takes nothing more than one step, because just as the foot slams down upon the ground a golden glow starts seeping through the rubble, and slowly but surely the bits and pieces that once made up a multi-storey building start levitating, floating up into the air upon tiny, golden strings attached to them but to seemingly nothing above, as if an invisible puppetmaster was lifting the heap of metal and glass. Rising from the ground, significantly higher up than before, surrounded by a dome of broken windows, steel and concrete, the Angel looks down at the EVA, eyes glowing baleful red. There's another pulse of golden light, and the rubble falls to the ground, whatever power affecting them now gone.

"What the-…" is all Shinji a step backwards, inside the EVA Shinji is suddenly having to struggle to keep his calm despite his every fibre of his being telling him to simply trust in ye olde instinct to run away. Misato's voice is suddenly carried into the entry plug by the mic, "S _hinji, you need to attack again!_ _DON'T JUST STAND THERE!_ "

Misato's voice is something to hold on to, and Shinji manages to shake the worst of the onsetting fear off of himself, retorting, "Look, you could've frikkin' told me that thing has magical powers! What the hell do I do now?!"

Silence for a moment, then Misato answers, her voice more collected now, "Just use the knife to break that bone cage, and stab the core until it breaks. _It's that easy,_ you don't have to worry."

"The EVA will protect you," says Yui, in tones so calm and so confident that Shinji can't help but believe in the words, "Alright, fine." Regaining yielded ground the Evangelion tentatively steps forth, gripping the knife tight. Shinji approaches the Angel cautiously, and then jabs clumsily at the spiderweb-like structure protecting the core – and a collective gasp goes around in Central Dogma, and inside the Eva's entry plug, as the knife encounters a solid wall of energy, the golden light summoned again by the Angel, manifesting as a flat hexagonal barrier that pulses outwards from the centre like water drops in a puddle, the field large enough to encompass the entire Angel.

"An AT field?!" Ritsuko shouts, Misato staring at the screen in pure disbelief.

"Shinji can't touch the Angel as long as that field is up," says Yui, remaining mostly composed. Misato turns her head to look at Yui with a grim expression, hoping that Yui can confirm what she's about to ask, "But that goes both ways, right?"

However, Yui's eyes, as well as those of the others on the bridge, have now firmly locked onto the screen, and as Misato turns her eyes towards the events outside, a certain terror grips her that she hasn't experienced in a long time, sixteen to be precise.

Outside, the Angel's skeletal back appendages have wrapped around the rest of the body like a mummy, the Angel's core starts glowing angrily red. They slowly start sinking into the skin, mounds of flesh starting to form, blistering red like blood before taking on the grey-black coloration of the Angel itself.

"Oh my god..." Fuyutsuki breaths, as the ridges of flesh and skin begins to tear away from the Angel's body, Shinji beginning to hyperventilate inside the EVA because _What the_ _ **fuck**_ _is going on_ as the Angel stretches the new pair of arms, these being longer than the Eva's arms and seems to possess almost twice the muscle mass. Each arm ends in three claw-like fingers; the Angel's halo once again manifests, brighter this time, and the Angel starts advancing on Unit-01, the dust and debris from the collapsed building being pushed out of the Angel's path as it glides over the ground.

Shinji being on the borderline to panic, the evangelion starts backing away from the Angel, stumbling over low buildings and nocking into the side of larger ones in a slow but increasingly frantic attempt to escape. The inevitable happens – the Eva steps on the roof of a two-storey building that holds up for a split second before collapsing, the foot sinking into the building, a massive cellar underneath, and the purple mecha loses balance, falling backwards. Shinji yelps in surprise, his already jumpy mood getting the better of him as he flails wildly all the way to the ground.

The massive EVA slams into the ground, tons of earth is dug up when its right elbow comes down first, spreading asphalt and dirt everywhere as the rest of the mass of metal follows, crushing the better part of an entire block in the process. Groaning, Shinji struggles to get hold of something with which to pull himself up, but everything simply breaks in the Eva's grasp and just as Shinji decides to try to brute his way to his feet, and he looks up, he meets the glowing red eyes of the Angel.

"Shinji, GET UP! DEFEND YOURSELF!" Misato shouts through the inter-com. But at this point Shinji is to terrified to act aggressively, and he rolls onto his back, raising his knife up against the Angel in a desperate attempt to hold it off, and the Angel slowly reaches down for him. He slashes in sheer panic, and the knife cuts two of the Angel's fingers, the thing rearing back in apparent pain from the attack, the cut fingers falling to the ground, blistering and then simply popping, transforming into some sort of bright red liquid that splashes over the evangelion's chest.

Regaining some mote of confidence at his attack's apparent success, Shinji manages to get the Evangelion into a kneeling position, and stabs at the Angel, striking the spider web of bone and breaking open a hole in the protective cage. He's just about to attack again, when the Angel again reaches for Shinji with its other, unharmed hand, and he can't get out of the way fast enough. The massive hand comes down upon the EVA's head, grasping it firmly, and lifts it up, lifts it off the ground, holding the struggling mecha about an EVA-sized foot off the ground.

Almost crushing the unit's head in its grasp as it is, Shinji's head aching and pounding so bad he can't think of anything else the Angel sends its mutilated hand straight into the EVA's gut, Shinji gasping as if he'd been punched himself, although his low synchronization score doesn't give him the full sensation that the EVA gets, which is fortunate, because the Angel's blow was hard enough to bend the evangelion's abdominal armour plates. The Angel retracts it's arm, the places where the fingers were previously located now blistering stumps, and swings again, this time striking the Evangelion right in the chest, the blow generating a small but briefly visible shockwave, sending the robot flying right into a high building almost half a kilometre away, marks of red upon the armour where the Angel' punched it.

Groaning and gritting his teeth, Shinji manages with some effort to pull the Eva's head out from the building without causing it to fall down, and he looks up at the Angel in the distance, his vision somewhat blurry.

And then, followed by a high-pitched gasp from Yui, the city is momentarily lit up by a flash in brilliant yellow and white, and then a blast of pure energy strikes the evangelion right in the face, scorching armour plates and searing flesh as the Eva falls backwards, arms trailing limply behind it.

– –

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* * *

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…

…

…

"God damnit, _I don't care!_ Do whatever it takes, _cut it open if you have to_ , we have spare plugs!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

...

...

...

"There we go… We should be able to bend it open now, _someone hand me a crowbar_ _!_ "

...

...

...

"Oh god... Shinji! Are you-Get the pod here! … _Don't care, just do it!"_

...

…

…

"Shinji?!- What? Yes, he's alive! Now get it ready!… Don't you worry, you'll see your parents again, kiddo."

– –

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Vision blurry and left eye aching as he opens it, Shinji lets out a silent groan, trying his best to keep on to reality, to consciousness. He's been swimming in a sleep-like coma for since they brought him out of the entry plug, waking for short moments before falling back to horrid dreams of the battle.

He can feel someone touching his cheek, gently shaking him he but he fades again...

Back to the front lines, back in the night. He remembers sitting in a fetal position in the dark entry plug, shaking, the connection to the EVA's mind severed but the pain is still there, burning his left eye.

And then the EVA trembles, lurches, and he can feel it rise. A red glow comes from the depth of the entry plug and a rumbling roar echoes throughout the evangelion. Looking up, Shinji can once again see, the screen having gone back on so he can again witness the events outside the purple-and-green mecha, and what he sees is the Angel's white face, only inches away from the EVA's own, staring up. 'Up' being the key word, as the EVA seems to have tackled the Angel, nocked it to the ground, and severely broken the Angel's face in the process.

Without Shinji's order or consent the EVA grabs a hold of the mask and tears it off effortlessly, a blood-like liquid spraying the Eva's face so that it blinds Shinji from what goes on outside, the latter yelping like a little child in shock and disgust.

Then it all fades as consciousness once again grips him, quite literally this time as he can feel someone shaking him ever so gently by the shoulders; when he opens his eyes he sees his own, or rather a pair very much like his own, staring down at him. Everything focuses intensely for a moment, and he can see the visage of his mother standing over him.

But it does not last, and it all fades to red as he once again gazes out through the rampaging, out-of-control evangelion's eyes, mechanical devices having washed the blood off, and Shinji stares in numb _I havn't got a damn clue what to think_ as the purple hands beats the sharp, beaked part of the Angel's mask/face down repeatedly upon the crimson red sphere, the cage protecting it severely broken, the crystalline sphere cracking and-

" _Shinji! Can you hear me?_ "

"Please, honey, consider what he's been through. I'd say he's warranted to take his time."

" _ **How can you-…"**_ someone snaps, stopping mid-sentence to breathe out slowly,"Hell… Oh, Shinji..."

And he keeps his grip on reality, the physical indication of this coming in the form a wheezing, laboured groan that's apparently a large enough change from normality to cast silence in the room, and then his bed creaks and he can feel someone sitting down by his bedside.

A tentative, hopeful female voice almost whispers to him, "Shinji? Are you awake?"

Taking a second to collect his messed-up heap of thoughts into something manageable, all that Shinji can get out of himself is, "If I said yes, would you believe me?" and he manages to smile a little. For his trouble he is embraced tightly, the familiar smell of his mother closing out most others.

"Yui, please try not to strangle the boy," a somewhat sarcastic manly voice interjects, "Reviving him _again_ would not be-" but is broken off by Yui chuckling, and slowly letting Shinji go. By this point he has regained most of his senses, and getting onto his elbows in the bed he recognises two faces inside the spacey room – his mother which is sitting by his bedside, and Gendo Ikari, his father, standing by a pair of chairs next to the bed. His face is more stoic than what can be said for Yui, the neutral visage only reinforced by his amber glasses. But as Shinji looks up at him he does cracks a small smile, and steps around the chairs, behind Yui, placing a hand on the latter's shoulder, "You had us worried there for a while, son. Welcome back to the real world."

Shinji scratches his head a little, letting out a small sigh and answering in a thin voice, "I- Uhm... Thanks, I guess... What happened to me, and to Godzilla up top? This isn't heaven or anything?" He looks around briefly, and for a moment he thought he could see someone else standing in the doorway, but as Shinji's eyes turned in that direction he, or she, was gone, all that could be seen was a brief flash of blue.

"The Angel is quite dead. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore," Gendo answers after exchanging a smile with Yui, "You were in a coma when Misato's team dug you out of the entry plug, but not really hurt physically. You're fit to leave this place whenever you wish."

Nodding to himself Shinji gets up and into a sitting position next to Yui, "Okay then. By the way, uh… Where are my clothes? I can't exactly walk around in this gown," Shinji says in an inquisitive and confused manner, having just realised the absence of the clothes he arrived to Tokyo in.

Now its Gendo's turn to let out a light chuckle, something that Shinji believes to be first in a long time, and the latter's father says, "We brought you something to change into once you awoke, which'll serve as your school uniform as well."

" _Awh, crap..._ You're telling me i'm having- I guess it makes sense, but if you're giving this school uniform to me _now_ , then school must be starting soon?" Shinji says, and with a malcontent grimace sinks back into the bed, sighing more in a slightly frustrated way than anything else, and the answer comes from his father as he expected it, _**with doom,**_ "School begins two days from now. The battle caused some damage to the city, including the school, so it's shut down for, hrm, maintenance today and tomorrow."

"During that time, you will get some time to familiarise yourself with the parts of NERV that... well, that are relevant to you, " Yui says, seeming much more collected now, having placed her hands in her lap, "Oh, and you will be shown where you're to spend your time here in Tokyo-3, how could I forget that. You've been assigned a personal guardian that you will be living with, namely Misato."

 _Wonderful,_ Shinji thinks.

And as if summoned by the western proverb 'Speak of the devil' Misato pops up in the doorway, her hair flowing behind her like a cloak as she steps in to the room, a wide smile practically imprinted onto her face, "Looking forward to that! So, how is our own, personal save-the-world-a-thon 9000?"

Having pondered saying ' _Down for maintenance',_ but decided against it Shinji summons the willpower of a lazy teenager to get up again. Getting into a sitting position, his somewhat lacking garments in the presence of others than family produces a very slight redness upon his cheeks, he answers, "I'm fine thank you very, _frikkin', much,_ for asking," the four last words being spelt out accompanied by a very slight nod of the head for sarcastic emphasis.

The little exchange produces a small, brief chuckle from Yui, the aforementioned rising from Shinji's bedside, "He's quite alright, colonel. As a matter of fact, your timing is perfect. He's all good to leave the sickbed, so you can pick him up whenever you're ready."

"It's not like we don't want you to stay at our place," Gendo injects as he pushes his glasses up the back of his nose while looking down at Shinji, his earlier smile reduced to a slight strain on the edges of his lips, "But we are extremely busy, even more so now, and for you to live with us would unfortunately be very inconvenient for _all three_ of us."

"Okay, fair enough," Shinji says as he takes a deep nose-breath to gather up all this info in a neat pile somewhere in his mind to be reviewed later.

Misato's smile having widened into a teeth-displaying grin, she crosses her arms over her chest and turns her gaze dreamingly into the ceiling, "Oh, what my friends will say when they get a load of _the saviour of the city lives at my place._.. _"_ and when this produces a reaction from Shinji that would be comparable to a mix of confusion, dislike and fear, she throws her arms up in the air which is accompanied by a girlish giggle, "I'm just joking! Nobody's going to terrorise you, kiddo, you'll settle into my place _just fine."_

 _Yup. Feeling completely safe with this arrangement,_ Shinji thinks, and then continues to say, "No sense in remaining then, I guess. Let's get out of here."

– –

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* * *

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– –

Being finished with today's work, Maya Ibuki nodded to herself in satisfaction, flips her laptop into closed mode, and leans back to stretch her arms for a moment. Confident that her blood pressure's gone up to the level that she won't faint from standing up, she does exactly that, picking up the half-read 400 page pocket book by the closed computer, places it in her work bag, and heads out of the office.

Maya is a woman just out of her teens and a brilliant bio-technician for her age, one of the top student in all of Japan, which is why she was chosen for this assignment. She sports a pair of blue eyes and short, carbon-black hair, and is not exactly tall, reaching only 172cm. She wears the beige uniforms that all other NERV employees do, and looks about herself with active, cheerful eyes as she exits her workplace she's spent so much time in, it feels like a second home to her.

 _What a day,_ she thinks to herself as she picks her path down the stainless steel corridor, zig-zagging through the thin stream of NERV employees that haven't quit for the day as of yet. She spots a familiar face, head covered with well-kept dark brown hair and a pair of glasses standing by a junction. Maya waves, picks up her speed a bit and she and Makato Hyuga, NERV's fourth ranking tactical officer, exchanges a friendly nod in greeting, and they both continue down the corridor.

"This must've been THE most stressful day of my time here at NERV," Makato says with a small smile on his lips, "All the damn paperwork... I was thinking of calling for someone to fetch a diving mask and a snorkel! And Shinji worried about drowning in the LCL..."

Maya nods in agreement, smiling still, and looks up at Makato, who stands almost a head taller than her, "Speaking of Shinji... I thought he did wonderfully yesterday. Although it was pretty lucky that he arrived before the Angel. If we hadn't gotten the chance to train him in any fashion, things might've gone horrible..." she says, her voice sounding almost fearful towards the end of the sentence.

"Indeed. He would've fallen flat on his face on his first or second step, I bet. Rei didn't perform much better than he did during her first real trial run. And she didn't have an upcoming battle on her mind." Makato being honest as always, but then he makes a small grimace together with tilting his head to the side a little, like one who just saw the other side of an argument, "But, then again Shinji didn't have to deal with synchronising with something like the Vessel. Took Rei months, and when she finally got it working she said it still resisted."

Suddenly someone places a hand on each of Maya and Makato's shoulders, prompting Maya to emit a short but high-pitched yelp, turning around and giving Shigeru Aoba a, to her, hard slap on the arm, " **Damnit,** Shigeru! Every time! Will you ever quit?!" But a grin spreads across her face as she admonishes him, which is met by Shigeru's own, full of amusement, "I know, right! And I promise I'll quit the day you grow the muscle to actually hurt me."

"Oh well then, I'll start going to the gym immediately!" Maya states with a confident grin crossing her features, a nod to herself for emphasis.

Shigeru is the base's first logistics manager as well as head of NERV's R&D section, even though he technically have to consult Misato and all the others when it comes to distributing NERV's resources; and now he looks down at Maya with a sceptical gaze, his shoulder-long brown hair making him appear like Maya's older brother as he eyes her for a second before answering, his voice a match to his expression, "When that actually happens then please tell me, 'cus I need to be there with the camera!"

Maya raises an eyebrow, her expression a mix of confusion and amusement, "Oh? Is that so strange? I thought we had established Makato here as the resident super-nerd," and Maya nods in said super-nerd's direction, prompting him in turn to make about the same face Maya did a moment ago, "Hey, don't bring me into this!"

"Well, considering you're the chief scientist's assistant, Maya," Shigeru goes on with a mischievous grin, arms loosely crossed across his chest, "It makes you the resident super-nerd, _regardless_ of free time occupation!"

Maya gasps in partially-faked outrage at the mention of her being Ritsuko Akagi's personal assistant, and tries -and fails- to push Shigeru away from her, all in a joking manner as she retorts, "You just made that up, **you-** I'll have you know I'm- At least I don't spend all my free time reading those weird comics that, whose name shall be left unmentioned, reads." And with that, Maya turns on her heel forward with an air of finality.

Shoulders sloping somewhat, Makato steps in to the argument, "Will you both quit it? You sound like kids. And by the way, Maya, those comics aren't weird, they're classical pre-impact, is what they are!"

"And there you have it," Maya simply responds in Shigeru's vague direction.

The conversation ends with a collective chuckle, the three friends then walk in relative silence as they pick their way through the maze of corridors making up NERV's west, or 'yellow', district. NERV is divided into four districts, each having different functions and can be completely sealed from each other should the need arise. The west district is where most offices are, and different NERV employees of somewhat higher ranking employees carry out paperwork and the like. It also contains the Pribnow box and the Evangelion synch test facilities.

Having entered a lift and ridden it for a few minutes, the three are now deposited into a large train station-esque area with several rows of card-operated gates that lead out into the station itself, the trains in question leading up to Tokyo-3.

Having gone through a gate and boarded one of the trains, settling down, Maya speaks up again, "I wonder how thing'll get from now on... Assuming there will be another Angel attack, that is." She taps her fingers gently on her bag as she speaks, her expression more a display of honest curiosity than the earlier unconditional cheerfulness. Shigeru is the first to pick up on the question, "Are you kidding? Things will get hectic as all _hell_ now that this place is effectively getting militarised and prepared for further Angel attacks. The days of sunshine and rainbows are over, I'd think."

Upon Shigeru mentioning Tokyo-3 becoming militarised Maya's gaze falls to the floor, all expression drained from her face and a heavy sigh seeps out between her lips. She does her best to collect herself, and does shine up a little as Makato continues, "Indeed. And there will be another Angel attack, I'm sure of it. But when it comes, we'll be ready. And it won't be all bad, right? The city's still the same when we spend our time in it."

Nodding, Maya slowly regains her smile, "I guess you're right, both of you," her voice a bit fragile, thinner than earlier. She's clutching her book tightly against her chest as she goes on, "And I'm confident we can make the best of it."

Sighing and breaking into a hearty chuckle, Shigeru grabs Maya by the shoulder and shakes her a bit in a joking manner, "C'mon, Maya! Don't go all emotional on us now! It's the second day of the war and you're already going on about that? Geez, you really-" _SMACK._

"Be quiet, Shigeru! Hold yourself!" Maya barks out in a as authoritarian tone as she can manage, bringing her clenched fist back from punching Shigeru in the shoulder back to her lap, "I swear to God I'll start going to the gym, and next time you interrupt a wonderful 'friend moment' like that, you'll be sorry!"

The three share in a laugh as the train clears the surface and they gaze upon the setting sun over Tokyo-3, a golden glow reflecting on the crimson ocean, telling of things to come.

 **End of 'Evangelion – Beneath the archangel's wing' prologue.**


	3. The good, the bad and the cigarette (3)

**Chapter 3: The good, the bad and the cigarette.**

Night is falling over Tokyo-3. The city's night life is just waking up, the streets are richly populated with cars, and for one particular Shinji Ikari this is a cause for concern. _Because Misato's behind the wheels._ _First thing tomorrow, figure out bus lines,_ Shinji thinks to himself and clings to the thought as if it'd give him any comfort. _Or steal and_ _ **exorcise**_ _Misato's driver's licence. Whichever works._

After he had dressed up and left the hospital room with Misato he'd been taken to a garage, same as the one he and Misato arrived in before the angel battle. They'd taken the car up to the surface, driven about a bit, and now here they are, entering the ground floor parking area of a large apartment house.

Misato makes a hap-hazard parking in her designated parking lot, the ones flanking said parking lot being empty and bereft of an owner whatsoever, which somehow doesn't surprise Shinji. Misato turns the key and the car promptly dies, the two sluggishly getting out. It's late...

Misato slams the door shut with a tired sigh and locks the car through a click on the keys, and proceeds to state, "This is what I hate about this job, this one thing... **The working hours...** "

"Well, it isn't _that_ bad..." Shinji replies in a more tentative voice, the sleepiness evident in his tone as well, "It could be worse."

"I mourn for those who have it worse..." Misato turns towards the lift on the far side of the enormous room, setting a not exactly brisk pace. Shinji walks up to her and they enter the lift together. They're deposited on the ninth floor, they pass three doors, Misato unlocks the fourth, and they enter.

Shinji is assaulted by the smell of an unfamiliar home as he steps into the hall, and is then nearly blinded by the lights as Misato clicks them on. He unties/kicks off his shoes with the trained precision of a seventeen-year-old teenager, hangs a jacket he borrowed from Yui upon a hanger and walks down the short corridor that goes down to the right; there's an archway leading into the apartment itself.

He enters a living room of sorts, rectangular-shaped with the long walls on Shinji's left and right. Along the right wall there's a sparsely populated bookshelf and an old flat-screen TV. In the top right corner there's a closed door. The left side is occupied by a small sofa running about two thirds the length of the wall, from the bottom left corner up. There's a closed door next to the sofa, and on the far side of that, in the top left corner there's a small table with a cell phone and a really old and worn armchair next to the table. The wall on the opposite side of where Shinji is still standing there is an archway that seem to lead into a small kitchen.

And as Shinji throws his gaze across the living room, he realises that the smells that hit him earlier wasn't just the smell of anyone else's home – it was the smell of _DEAR_ _GOD_ _does she ever clean this place?_ Shinji gazes in disbelief at the wondrous mess that prevails over the room; there's a mostly-finished dinner plate on the armrest on the sofa, an empty glass on the table with the phone, the TV stands on a throne of wires and cables, Shinji _assuming_ there to be a low stool or something underneath.

The list goes on, and Shinji is thankfully interrupted in his shock by Misato pushing past him and into the room, still wearing the bomber jacket. She throws her arms out, almost steps on _something_ on the floor and has to use her arms for balance rather than the dramatic scene she probably intended, after a few seconds of awkward silence, Misato having regained her balance, she spins around, arms still held out. "Hello MTV, and welcome to my crib!" she announces in a gleeful, teeny fashion with a grin that goes from ear to ear, "This, Shinji, will be your home during your time with NERV. Make yourself comfortable!"

Shinji is unable to intercept the first thought that crosses his mind before it is mouthed. "Do I _really_ have to?" he says in a tired and worried tone, and then freezes as he realises what he just said.

But at his little comment Misato throws her head back and a hearty bout of cheerful laughter boils up from within her, which proves contagious to Shinji as he himself chuckles a little awkwardly. Still laughing Misato steps up to Shinji, clapping him hard on the shoulder, "Oh but I thought you'd LIKE the atmosphere! Isn't this the average teenager's natural habitat?"

Calming down, Shinji manages to brush away a little of his shyness towards the colonel and frowns, smiling a little as he says, "Not me. Like it or not, if I'll be living here then we'll have to come to some sort of room-mate agreement, yes?"

Misato's shoulders slump a bit and she gives Shinji a rather confused look, that's soon replaced with a more tired one, "Ugh... You must be the first teenager _ever_ ," Misato's sentence trails off, her head turned down, "…Exempt probably Maya, I haven't quite accepted her as an adult yet…" Then she looks back up at Shinji, "THE SECOND, out of many teens I've ever met that would suggest anything of the sort, and you're the one that stays with me… Oh well, I guess forming a bro code could be arranged."

Having used up his daily amount of late-hour humour Shinji simply stares at Misato, and he waves his right hand dismissively in a lazy attempt to get her attention, feeling rather tired all of a sudden, "Look, that's all cool and good, but I would really like to turn in… Where's my room?"

At the mention of turning in, Misato's cheerfulness fades and her expression becomes plain and indifferent, both her eyebrows shoot up in understanding and agreement, "Yeah, go through the kitchen and the door to the left, the room furthermost down the corridor is yours. I keep a sandwich in the fridge for late days like these, you can have it if you like. The bathroom is in the door to your left when you enter the corridor, there's an extra toothbrush there for you." Misato sounds rather exhausted all of a sudden, her body language tired and slow a she gestures towards the kitchen.

Without further ado, Shinji nods with what politeness he can muster through his sleepiness, smiles, and walks past Misato, who pats him on the shoulder as he passes, more gently this time.

One sandwich and fifteen minutes later Shinji is deeply asleep.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

The commander takes his seat behind a desk barely visible in the darkness. He taps a button upon said desk, there's a sound like generators turning on, and suddenly the room is lit up by five other desks in front of Gendo, two to his right, two to his left and one facing him. Those on his left side are represented by the colours blue and gold respectively, and those on his right side red and green. His own, and the one facing him, are white.

Three of these desks are occupied at the moment, these being the other white one, the green and the blue. It only takes a moment's silent waiting for the red, and then another moment later the golden, to become occupied as well, and the old but stocky man sitting behind the other white desk speaks up, his voice authoritative and even, "This committee is called to session. I'm sure you have all heard the news by now, the angels have finally surfaced."

"Indeed," says the middle-aged man behind the gold desk, representing France, "And what a fireworks display you made too, Gendo! I'm quite impressed!"

Scarcely letting the Frenchman finish the young woman behind the red desk, representing the United Kingdom speaks up with a venomous undertone, _"Oh come off it."_ She gives France an irritated glare, leaning on her elbows on the desk.

"Please, both of you. Emmanuel, you do have ground for argument, but please settle down. I too, was unfortunately somewhat worried by the report of the battle you send me, Gendo..." the man behind the other white desk again, representing Germany, "The battle was a narrow victory, no matter how you put it on the paper."

"I don't see the problem," Gendo simply replies with a masterful coolness. Another person speaks up before Gendo makes an effort to speak again, "I have to agree with Gendo on this one, chairman your honor," which comes from the man behind the green desk, namely the U.S. committee member, who's just now getting into a more attentive position from his earlier laxness, "We can cover the cost of building an evangelion, or rather _the_ _evangelions_ as of now, but some collateral damage inside Tokyo-3 worries us?" also emphasising his last few words slightly with a gesture of his hand as he speaks.

The forties woman behind the blue desk, Russia's representative, says nothing, sitting straight up with hands clasped on the desk, observing the others from behind her half-moon glasses. Germany throws a glance in her direction to see if she has any input, she meets the glance with silence, so the elderly man turns back towards Gendo, "Well, Mr. Rosardo here does have a point, but even so, we must all remember; this is only the beginning. We can't afford to use up our resources too quickly. We have at least five more evangelions to build, and you, Gendo, have more than a dozen Angels to destroy."

"Indeed," says Gendo.

"Fair enough," America's representative responds.

Germany's representative nods, content, and then takes the word again, "This committee has many more things to discuss regarding the future of Mankind and the Human Instrumentality Project, but I need a word alone with Gendo first."

With a collective nod from all the other committee members, they all fade away, and Gendo is left alone with the Chairman of the committee. Gendo pushes up his glasses and leans back in his chair a little, his face perplexed, "What is it, Keel? You rarely ever talk to me _normally_ , why a private conversation suddenly?"

"It regards Aoi," is all that the Chairman responds with his usual poker face, and this pulls Gendo into full attention, "What about Aoi?" the latter responds.

"Does the boy know?" Keel wonders, his voice less formal, a touch of concern as he leans forward, supporting his aged and bulky structure on his elbows.

"No, and I intend to keep it that way," Gendo responds with finality, his face at once hardening. "Please do not use the name again unless I bring it up or it's very important, Keel."

"Very well, that was all I needed to know," the Chairman replies simply, and then the other four committee members appears again, the Russian representative in the process of cleaning her glasses, and Keel speaks up, his usual air of leadership and authority back again, "Now, to other matters..."

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

A deep sigh escapes Ritsuko Akagi's lips as she once again looks down at the unused cigarette in between her fingers. For a full fifteen minutes she's been sitting here, taking turns looking at the datapad on the table before her and regarding the unlit white stick, and for the omphtieth time thinks that recent events have killed her taste for it, yet still she needs it now more than ever.

Switching to, at least technically more relevant things Ritsuko looks down upon her datapad, using her long-nailed index finger to idly scroll the screen down to the topic regarding the performance of Unit-01's computerised systems like entry plug life support, power efficiency, internal electrical fire suppression systems, and so on and on and on. This wasn't normally her job as she's primarily a biologist, but technical stuff occasionally comes her way.

Ritsuko scrolls to the side, to a note app, and taps down a reminder to overhaul how the evangelion's on-board computer distributes power and its priorities. She goes on.

Her scrolling motion suddenly freezes, and in the reflection on her datapad's screen she notices a very particular individual approaching, silently. Ritsuko waits a moment, letting the woman draw in closer before, in a raised voice so that she completely shatters the thick silence in the bar, speaks up without turning around, "Fancy seeing you here, Yui. I thought you just got a wake-up call from the parent's organisation?"

The sudden and loud speech evidently startles Yui, and Ritsuko turns around on her stool, producing a small grin, "You'd be surprised how good a reflective screen can be when you need to be on the lookout for ambushing scientists."

Yui sighs her defeat, and smiles. "Growing paranoid, are we Ritz?" She walks up to the stool next to Ritsuko as she speaks, putting down a NERV employee bag on the table and spies the cigarette in Ritsuko's hand, "Well this must be something I've never seen before. Such difficulty to solve such a straightforward question?"

"Well, I recall _you_ saying that the simplest questions can be deceptively difficult." Ritsuko taps the cigarette against the table as she leans back, looking out through the window in front of the long table that the two women are occupying.

The bar is actually situated on the side of the GeoFront, placed strategically just by one of the railways that go up to the surface along the GeoFront wall. The view can be quite stunning at times, when light is seeping in from great windows around the city above and casting the GeoFront in a purple-blue glow, with the golden rays of the sun creating a rather beautiful contrast. Right now, however, the GeoFront is lit up artificially as it is pitch dark on the surface, and everything's just black, or varying shades of a greyed-out whatever might be there, like the forest at the GeoFront floor.

"True, they can be. I just left Gendo in a meeting with SEELE. _Those old men and their meetings._ I may have clearance to hear and read every word that's spoken in there, but... I've always had a bias against shady organisations, I suppose." Turning her attention from Ritsuko, Yui starts rummaging through the NERV bag she carried with her.

Ritsuko purses her lips in thought for a moment, then turns her head towards Yui, "I am a little curious; what do you think our chances are if another Angel arrives, one more vicious than Rehael? Unit-00 should be battle-ready in a few days' time, but will two Evangelions be enough, considering how tight the last battle was despite the sheer luck we had?"

Yui stops searching her bag at the question and looks up towards Ritsuko, smiling, "Always worried about the technicalities, huh? No thoughts on the mental health of the pilots regarding this, at all?"

This promotes an amused chuckle from Ritsuko and she replies, "I'm a doctor, Yui, not a psychologist. And besides, he's **your** son, it's **your** job to worry about him. I'll keep his toys running and you keep **him** running, _that was what the contract said_ ," Ritsuko states, matter-of-fact, although there's an obvious tinge of humour there as well.

"I was actually referring to Rei as well." Yui brushes away a stray hair as she straightens her sitting stance a little, "I heard she checked in on Shinji with regular intervals when he was in the hospital, she seemed quite curious. One of the doctors described her behaviour as "outright cute". Isn't it curious that she'd show such interest in Shinji?"

Ritsuko produces a grin, tapping her cigarette against the table a bit before answering, "Well, it's a new pilot we've brought into her attention. She's never quite had an _equal_ in her life before, for all intents and purposes, but I can't really speak for what's going on in that blue-haired head of hers, _for all I try_."

"Well," Yui continues, folding her arms on the table, letting her gaze wander out through the window, "It'll do her good, if anything. And I'm just as curious about how Shinji will react to her as the other way around."

Ritsuko nods in agreement, looking out the same way that Yui is, "Indeed. Although I wouldn't trust introducing them to each other to the _major_."

"No?" Yui asks, turning to Ritsuko, "I think she's the best person for the job. She's got the charisma needed to melt the metric tonne of ice that'll inevitable form between them." Yui grins teasingly, "You let your bias get the better of you more often than you admit, Ritz."

Raising an eyebrow, Ritsuko turns to Yui in her seat and gives the aforementioned a stare over the brim of her glasses, "Well normally I'd _wholly_ rejectthat I let my emotions get in the way of my opinions, but in Misato's case… She's got the personality of an overgrown butterfly – It's all over the place! Had it not been for his extended assignment abroad, I'd have _insisted_ Kaji be given the post instead."

Yui produces a smile at the notion of _him_ as a guardian for Shinji and Rei, "Well, on that point we can argue all night. I still think Misato's the perfect option."

Ritsuko makes a small nod at that, thinking that maybe she could agree to disagree on the matter. She puts her cigarette down and draws her hand through her blonde hair, shoulders slumping somewhat. And as she does this Yui takes the chance to sneak Ritsuko's cigarette. When the latter looks down to where she left it she frowns, and turns her eyes towards Yui, who says, "I'll take that. One less dilemma for you, now; we have ourselves a mystery to solve, have we not?"

"Speaking of Unit-01's berserk attack, you are?" Ritsuko asks in a somewhat awkward and unsuccessful mimic of a certain little green man, and Yui cracks a wide grin, leaning back in the backless stool she's sitting on as far as comfort permits, saying; "U-huh" at length. She then bends down to dig something up from her bag. She takes up a second datapad and starts it up, then as it begins showing the little flashy start-up screen Yui turns her head back towards Ritsuko, having enclosed the latter's cigarette in her fist, "Yes, about Unit-01's berserk attack... You know as well as I that an accident like that isn't technically possible."

Ritsuko's earlier joking demeanour slowly drains away and she sighs, scratching her forehead with eyes closed for a moment as she gathers her thoughts, "Well, you know the indomitable nature of the human soul better than most," she says and meet Yui's eyes, face inexpressive, "The Limiter technology may be a very functional piece of kit, but considering what we are all ultimately dealing with... I want to just see this from a scientist's point of view, but we really can't, can we?"

Yui makes an almost unnoticeable nod with a rather somber expression, but then she makes a small smile, "I'm a little surprised to hear that. Has my incessant preaching about the soul finally rubbed off?"

"Yeah, so it would seem. But it is true," Ritsuko points out now with a small smile, glancing out through the window, "We can hold back EVA all we want, but within that chest sits a power that, when it decides to come out, I just don't think we'll be able to control."

"Oh c'mon, Ritz, I don't think you should be so negative. Here..." Yui taps her fingers a few times against the datapad's touchscreen and then turns it towards Ritsuko, so that she can read what the digital sticky note says.

"Well, this is all good and fine, I guess, but we're only talking about percentages here. What if this isn't enough?" Ritsuko wonders. Yui smiles, and puts the datapad into power-save mode, putting it down into her bag, "There's nothing we really _can_ do apart from hoping that it doesn't, unless you'd like to repeat what happened ten years ago and try to talk some sense into what's inside that thing?"

Ritsuko falls silent and nods, subdued. She strokes back her hair from her forehead and sighs quietly, and looks at Yui, "Well, at least _what's inside that thing_ made an early entry, so to speak. We do know why it'd do this."

"Indeed," Yui answers in a somber voice, "I just hope it hasn't made Shinji too terrified of the Evangelion to pilot it again, for fear of this repeating. I wish I could tell him that how much these attacks will occur depends a lot on _him."_

Nodding, Ritsuko cracks a small smile, saying that, "It's good to see that maternal love is still one of the strongest forces mankind has to offer."

Yui nods in return, stretching her back and taking a deep breath, collecting herself. She then opens her clenched fist and reveals Ritsuko's cigarette that Yui had been keeping there, saying, "I'll keep this, you still got a bit of work to do I see. Try to catch _some_ sleep, at least, Ritz?"

"Yeah. See you tomorrow, Yui," Ritsuko says and stretches her own back a little, smiling and waving to Yui as the latter takes off with her bag.

And once again she turns to her datapad, tapping her long-nailed finger against the table in thought. And the only thing she can think of is that she should have given Yui the entire cigarette pack.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

Morning rises over Tokyo-3. A light fog lies over the massive cluster of buildings and sky-scrapers, having rolled in from the harbour during the night and now coats Tokyo-3 like a protective blanket, giving it a ghostly appearance to any on-looker. The sun suddenly breaks over the mountaintops and spreads its light over the city. By the lake Ashino four skyscraper-sized solar collectors come online and turns to face themselves against the sun, the reflection from the massive mirrors bathing Tokyo-3 in the morning light.

And thus, Shinji Ikari is woken from his sleep. It hasn't exactly been a deep one, considering what happened the other day. Not that it really matters when you out things into perspective, even if he'd slept for twelve hours straight he'd still turn his face towards the other side of the room and groan weakly in dismay as the morning light invades his world.

 _It'll take some coercion yet before he moves, that's for sure._ Misato nods to herself, and slowly closes the door fully again, trying and succeeding not to make a noise as she walks back into the kitchen. Shinji may have some leeway today because 1) he just saved humanity last night and 2) because in doing so smashed his school. _Maybe that was intentional?_

But Misato? _Nope, got to be off to work again. Soooo much paperwork to be sorted out, considering the nation's just been assaulted by Godzilla, for real this time._ Misato chuckles silently at the comparison, and throws a glance towards the table to make sure the note she left there is still present – It tells Shinji that when he's woken up and gotten breakfast he's to call a certain number, so that Section 31 can come and pick him up.

The note is there, Misato nodding to herself as she picks up the keys to her car from the table and sets her course out through the door, locking it behind her. Section 31 has the keys to her house, so she doesn't need to worry about them not getting in.

Closing the door behind her, Misato takes in the morning air. There's a strange tint to the air this morning. Almost like metal. Or blood. Her smile fades away as the smell draws her memories back to yesterday. A sigh escapes her as she enters the elevator that takes her down to the garage. Getting into her car, she could've sworn that it was a darker shade of red than usual, and as Misato drives out of the parking house and into the early-day Tokyo-3 there's a certain gloom to the city, and far less people than she's used to.

That doesn't really surprise Misato, considering. Everyone knew that a lot of people would pack up and leave when the attacked, but it was not expected that the battle would take place inside the city itself. The collapsed sky-scraper is replaceable, but it seems the death of an Aangel leaves a rather permanent mark upon the land itself. Essentially, a small part of the centre of the city, where Unit-01 destroyed the angel, is no longer habitable.

Misato, Yui and Ritsuko are to fly out there and inspect the damage today, and of course the nerds are going to see what scientific research can be gained from the **blistering hellhole** that was the central square. And that impression is what she got from looking at the edge of the affected area from the ground, not to mention how it will look like from above.

Sighing to herself knowing that it can't be helped, Misato turns a corner and heads on out of Tokyo-3, setting her course for the airfield a few miles out. Traffic is pretty heavy in her direction, people are leaving Tokyo-3, so she doesn't get much time to ponder on the impact of the attack upon the city further, and then she reaches the airport. It's divided into two sections – the civilian and the JSSDF, an abbrevation for the Japanese Strategic Self-Defence Force. There's queues without end going into the civilian part, and Misato allows herself a smug grin as she turns her car into the JSSDF section.

Having passed a pair of security checks Misato parks her car, and is met by Yui, smiling as she gestures towards a military transport plane standing by on one of the larger runways. They walk in silence to the plane, where Ritsuko and Maya are waiting for them. They enter the transport which departs without ceremony, and it's soon circling the site of last night's battle.

"I'll be damned..." Yui says, astonished, her eyes hard locked on the scenery playing out underneath the aircraft, "It looked bad from the ground, but this bad... You can see, even the birds are avoiding flying close to… _That_." She leans back, chin resting in her knuckles and a shiver goes through her body. Misato leans out through her own window, and peers down across the city.

You can see the torn-down skyscraper to the right, a trail of ruined buildings leading off towards the centre of Misato's vision, and then there's _that._

Where the trail Unit-01 made when Shinji desperately tried to get away from the Angel stops there is a sort of shoreline, where the ground has crumbled and compressed. This line is shore to a large pool of crimson, blistering and bubbling liquid, from which a red mist rises, so thick that it's hard to tell where the liquid ends and the vapour begins. The buildings, abandoned cars and the like that are within even the outer perimeter of the mist seem oddly distorted, as if seen through a cracked window.

Misato opens her mouth, tries and fails to get out anything articulate enough, and lets her forehead sink into her open palm with a depressed sigh. When the berserk Unit-01 began bashing at the Angel's core with the latter's own face and the core cracked, the mutilated Angel reached out for the Evangelion, and literally wrapped itself around Unit-01. Unit-01 had fallen to the ground, and for a moment everyone had thought that the Angel had crushed the Unit and Shinji underneath its weight.

But it did something more nefarious than that. It self-destructed, leaving this 'crater'. The Evangelion actually survived the explosion, walking out of the chaos that was left after the red crucifix of energy that was the angel's last gasping attack had faded. _And now_ _ **we**_ _have to clean up the mess, god damnit,_ Misato thinks to herself angrily.

The airplane makes a pass directly above the crater, Yui shouts something to the pilots about launching buoys, and Misato can hear a clanking sound followed by several metal spheres falling down from the belly of the aircraft. When they reach the outer perimeter of the red mist they open up, developing large red balloons that slow and eventually stops their fall, hanging them in the air at a relatively fixed position; Misato makes a guess they're some sort of measurement drones.

"We've established a data-link to the MAGI," Ritusko announces from behind the screen of her laptop she's just unfolded, her glasses reflecting the computer's screen where numbers and graphs are scrolling.

Misato turns her head away from the window, reaching in underneath her jacket to a small cross pendant she's carrying around her neck by a simple piece of string. She grips the pendant tightly for a moment, and feeling that maybe those drones are saying something at least slightly relevant she lets the pendant go and turns to Yui, "A'right, nerds. What relevant info can we learn from the first-ever observed physical manifestation of hell itself?" She allows herself a good venomous undertone, the comparison very much serious on her part.

Ritsuko raises an eyebrow but does not meet Misato's gaze as she replies, "Come now, lieutenant Colonel, I'd have thought you'd take larger interest in these sort of things, considering _..._ " The blonde goes on to scan what the laptop tells her with a rather busy look about her, and Misato's face flares up red and her fly wide open in outrage, "Come again?!"

" _Not helping_ **,** _either of you_..." Yui sing-songs, in a tone just as toxic as Misato's had been earlier; she kicks Ritsuko's leg softly since she's sitting across to Yui, giving both the Misato and the blonde a subduing stare. This is enough that Misato calms down, and after waiting a moment to let the embers die Yui goes on to read out what the MAGI can calculate and measure based on what readings the drones are giving off; nothing very interesting to Misato, and Yui slowly shifts her attention to Ritsuko entirely, the two discussing the data, Maya who's sitting with them as well occasionally pitching in.

The aircraft continues to circle for about half an hour more, collecting data while the scientists inside work in relative silence and Misato sits and broods, looking out through the window. She had not really wanted to come, the view she got of this mess from the ground had been good enough thank you very much to provoke some very unpleasant memories of the Second Impact, the event that so devastated the Earth.

 _I will not let them do this to Earth again._

The plane then returns to the airport and the entourage returns to NERV.

 **End of chapter 3.**


	4. Army material (chapter 4)

**Chapter 4; Army material.**

Having woken up _fully_ and slithered his way into the kitchen, Shinji had his breakfast from what could be scavenged from the fridge, and managed to sit and think about what to do for ten whole minutes before even noticing the note on the table. He dialled the number on the note and had a short and (on Shinji's side) rather awkward conversation with some exaggeratedly formal-sounding man who said that a car would be sent to Misato's home to pick Shinji up. He was told to wait at the apartment.

Shinji had to wait for about fifteen minutes before someone nocked at the door an identified himself as "Mr. Ikari's escort", Shinji even believed it was the same guy he'd talked to on the phone earlier. He was well-built but not really burly, although very tall, and dressed in your classical secret agent attire; sunglasses, black tuxedo, communication device attached to left ear, the whole package.

Shinji and his escort went down to the garage after said escort had locked Misato's apartment for him. Down in the garage stood a shining carbon black vehicle with defined edges and lines, a flat roof and windows, nothing like the almost aerodynamic cars you usually see in this day and age. A man with wide, short stature and attire that matches the other agent stuck his head out of the car and beckoned to Shinji; a few minutes later the car was out driving along the roads of Tokyo-3. It takes them about ten minutes worth of driving to find a passage checkpoint that leads down into the GeoFront, and the elevator swiftly lifts the car down to NERV below.

The car ends up in the same garage that Misato dragged Shinji in to the other day, and standing in the doorway that leads into the NERV complex is Yui, arms loosely wrapped about her stomach. She's dressed exactly like she was the day before, in a white labcoat and black tights. The agents that drove Shinji there do not leave their car, and as soon as Shinji's exited it drives off.

"Is this the time you tell me that the Men in Black is a thing?" Shinji tentative asks in Yui's general direction, hands in his pockets as he's still having some difficulty getting to terms with the fact that he's now living within the same city as his mom.

Yui chuckles a little with her eyes turning down to the floor for a moment, arms unclasping their grasp of her stomach and falling to her sides. She smiles and then motions with a sideways nod of the head into the doorway, still smiling, "Not quite. C'mon, today you're officially starting your Evangelion pilot training." Shinji raises both eyebrows in a show of resigned acceptance, and walks in through the door with Yui; they both set of to the hangars once more.

"A lot will happen today," Yui starts, hands by her sides as the two walk. The corridor is slightly more populated now than yesterday, everyone dressed in either beige uniforms or labcoats with beige pants or tights, "You're going to have to learn to navigate at least section B as that contains all the Evangelion facilities, but you'll be given a map application for the smartphone you'll be provided with."

Shinji nods, not saying anything, he figures that he should take this in as fully as possible, _It seems like I'll be here a while_. Yui goes on to say that, "You'll be coming here regularly to have synchronisation tests to see how well you synch with Unit-01, both for the sake of scientific research and to see how well you're improving, as synch ratios tend to rise as you spend time in the Evangelion. These will be held after school, so unfortunately you'll have little time for other activities during your stay here."

This time Shinji does speak up, part hopeful part worried, "And that's it?"

Yui cracks a small smile at the question, turning her head to Shinji and takes a moment to gather her answer, "Well, today will be a bit different, as well as the first... week or so, depending on you. Today, you're getting your plugsuit, a locker, and-"

Yui is interrupted at mentioning the plugsuit by Shinji giving her a very expressive look of non-understanding, and she re-forms her sentence, "Oh, it's a sort of uniform that you'll be wearing whenever piloting the Eva. It's designed not to impede your movement to much, compared to your clothes, which is especially important considering that you're sitting in a liquid medium. It'll also keep check of your vital systems, it's even got systems to improve the chance of your survival if you should be in danger, like painkiller injectors and-" once again Yui is interrupted by Shinji raising his hand, this time in a defensive manner, saying that, "Uh, sure, yeah, great, _I don't follow you_ , sorry." _I thought those kind of skin-tight suits were a thing only girls in bad anime wear._ _ **Apparently not,**_ he quickly thinks to himself before going on, "So I'll have that when piloting, fair enough. But I'm sure it doesn't take 'the first week or so depending on me' to sort only _that_ out?"

Yui looks at Shinji for a moment with a show of surprise at the interruption, and again smiles as he finishes, "No, that'll only be today, that's why we took your measurements when you first got here," -because they did that- "and the rest of 'this first week or so' will be focused on firearms training."

Shinji frowns, and then his shoulders slump as his mind pieces together the meaning of "firearm" from the five or so times he's ever heard or seen the word before, "I guess that makes sense."

"Then," Yui goes on as the two enter a small personnel lift, taking it downwards, "I should mention the AT fields. You remember that barrier you encountered during the battle last night?"

Shinji grunts his acknowledgement, sticking his hands in his pockets; the nightmares from last night surface along with the memory of the field.

"Every Angel-type lifeform generates an AT field, essentially. It's a barrier that can block out all forms of physical contact, if the Angel so chooses. Of course it _can_ be overwhelmed by sheer brute force, but even a weak Angel's AT field is potent enough that a nuke would cause the angel only superficial damage."

The lift stops and deposits Shinji and Yui in a significantly less populated corridor, and Yui leads Shinji off to the left, the latter simply following in mute semi-understanding. "Fortunately for you, your Evangelion also generates an AT field, and two fields can cancel each other out."

Shinji interjects at this point, with a tinge of hope, "But my own AT field would still protect me just as well? I'd be more or less invulnerable?"

Yui shakes her head at that with an almost apologetic expression, "Against man-made weapons, the Evangelion's armour plates and its field will be enough, even though you should _never_ have to face conventional firepower in the first place. Against angels, however… As I said, your fields can cancel each other out. IT doesn't happen automatically, so you're going to have to learn how to best do it. Bottom line is, thoug, that in order to lower the Angel's defences you need to leave yourself vulnerable as well. Of course you may learn how to better utilize your AT field as you pilot the EVA, but all we can tell you at the moment is that your best bet when in combat against the angels is to just spread your AT field to neutralize the angel's own and fight it straight-up."

"I suppose it was too much to hope for," Shinji mumbles, his hands trying in vain to reach deeper into his pockets. The disappointment in his voice is hard to miss, and Yui puts a hand on Shinji's shoulder for comfort, smiling at him, "The Evangelion is still very sturdy, and the risk of you actually getting hurt when piloting is minimal. We can always eject the entry plug should the EVA run risk of being destroyed altogether."

This offers some measure of comfort, and Shinji nods, "Okay, I suppose so."

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

So, the routine of Shinji's new life is just being laid out to him. He was given his plugsuit, a blue, white and black skin-fitting swimsuit-like thing with all sorts of gadgets on it; comm system, independent computer that monitors his vitals, the suit is fireproof, the list goes on. It's also supposedly got everything he'd need in order to fight effectively with the Evangelion, like adrenaline and painkiller injectors like Yui mentioned, systems to help synchronisation and a dozen other things Shinji didn't understand; these systems are contained mostly within metal compartments on Shinji's chest, back and shoulders. It's also got some sort of gem affixed in the 'armour', in Shinji's solar plexus region, which started to glow when he synchronised with Unit-01. The suitlooks _hideous_ though _,_ Shinji thought to himself.

Then there was the firearms session. He entered the EVA again and marched it into the same room that he was in the other day and was given a machine gun; a rather large and bulky thing with the magazine on the top, and Shinji remarked that 'aiming down the iron sight' as it were was kind of tricky. The reason for this design was apparently because Shinji didn't have to do much of the aiming, the EVA's computerised systems handles most of it.

So they connected the EVA to a sort of visual reality videogame, and Shinji was tasked with gunning down a bunch of digital copies of the Fourth angel. Shinji sucked at it of course, despite the fact that is was oddly therapeutic, and he was made well aware that this would become standard procedure henceforth until he's learnt to nail the angel's core with the first burst. _Sigh._

But at least there was apparently some excitement over his synch ratio. It seems he's doing extraordinarily well; he beat the top so-called First Week Score someone called the 'second child' set. The second child is, according to Yui another EVA pilot. And yes, there are other Evangelions exempt for Unit-01. Shinji felt a bit stupid after hearing that, having previously thought his was the only one. Why would someone name a unique robot "Unit _one",_ as if there was a necessity to count all that exist?

Speaking of other Evangelions; as he headed back from the firearms session, he actually saw another unit standing in a cage next to his. Its armour layout was slightly different from Unit-01, mostly in a different chest armour design and the unit itself having an orange and white colour scheme. Then there was the helmet as well; the other Eva is a cyclops from what Shinji could gather, having a single massive protruding grey metal eyeball with a red eye like a camera lens in the centre occupying almost the entirety of its face.

There was a person as well, standing on the umbilical bridge in front of the orange Evangelion. All that Shinji could see was that he or she was dressed in white clothing and was wearing something blue on their head. _It might've been hair though, which would be odd. Not that I'm judging or anything_ , Shinji thought as he walked Unit-01 into his own cage and listened to the EVA power down around him. He must admit that it's a kind of a strange feeling when it does that, how it's a bit like being yanked back from some other world, similar to this one but with... Something about it that's off, different.

"A'right Shinji, you can go and take a break," Misato tells him through the comm-system, "You're off the hook for a bit now, but tomorrow this time you'll be heading off to school in about half an hour, so don't you get used to the idea of so much time off. Head down to change and get lunch, the mess hall isn't far from the locker room. We'll have another quick session in an hour."

–

* * *

–

Shinji enters the locker room after a surprisingly short time spend wandering, and proceeds to change from the plugsuit and take a shower, the LCL has been dripping from his hair the entire way there and it smells weird.

Having showered he walks back to his locker; he can hear two other voices as he navigates the maze-like locker room, which sound vaguely familiar. He gets his clothes back on, goes to investigate, and finds the manly two thirds of the junior bridge officers discussing something by their own lockers. They both turn to Shinji as he looks around the corner a little shyly.

"Oh, fourth child! Was just about to mention you," the taller one with the long hair says, whose name is Shigeru, and pushes off the locker which he's been casually leaning up against.

Shinji raises an eyebrow, tentatively, having stepped up from the corner, hands in his pockets he manages to conjure a casual "and?" to which Shigeru responds, "You're taking all of... Y'know, _this,_ pretty well, you should know. Well, I wasn't going to say that **exactly** , but you get the idea. I'm sure your parents have told you this a million times already and you might be a bit confused as to why _I'm_ telling you this of all people, but you're amongst friends and… I guess 'supporters', here. You're the last line of defence, nobody here wants to see you fail."

The other guy with the glasses, Makato, joins in by saying, "Indeed. And to be fair, when an Angel shows up, the Evangelions are about the **safest** places on the planet to be in." Adjusting earlier mentioned glasses, the lieutenant steps up besides Shigeru, clasping his hands behind his back.

Shinji smiles, humbled, and scratches his neck idly, "I wish I had your confidence. The EVA only seems like a glorified Jaeger to me, and after what it did during the battle the other day, went _berser_ _k_ … I dunno." Shinji's eyes fall to the floor and his grin fades as he recalls the battle.

The two lieutenants exchange glances; they look rather sombre at first, like Shinji, nut Makato suddenly cracks a grin, saying, "Yeah well, don't let Maya hear you saying that. She _adores_ the Evangelions."

"Why?" Shinji asks, head tilted to the side a little in curiosity and blatant surprise.

"She adores the EVAs because she adores doctor Akagi," Shigeru says in a matter-of-factly manner, a grin still on his face as he talks, "Not that I'm judging or anything. But seriously, don't say a bad word about the EVAs in her presence, she'll begin lecturing you on why everything's so great about them, and then she'll spill into-" And here he's broken off by Makato, who steps up in front of Shigeru, arms falling to his sides as he nudges the rambling Shigeru ever so slightly, "Anyway, you should try have a positive outlook on things here. Learn the layout of NERV, get to know Misato and Rei, since-"

Now Makato's broken off by Shinji raising a hand in confusion as a polite means to silence Makato as he mentions Rei. Shinji stands with his mouth hanging open for a moment before he tentatively asks, "W-who's Rei?"

Makato's head rears back in sheer surprise, he and Shigeru exchange a second glance, and Shigeru is first to speak up, "You havn't met Rei yet? Odd. Well, short story made short, she's the pilot of Evangelion Unit-00. Word of advice, she's not exactly your everyday teenage girl, so don't go in with any expectations."

Shinji makes a smile, feeling at least some of the social awkwardness drain away, "Well, the concept of predicting the future is something I've thrown out of the window at this point."

The two lieutenants produce grins of their own at this and Shigeru nods in understanding. A second of silence pass, and Shinji's stomach reminds him that he was actually going somewhere before he got into this conversation, "Uh, it was nice to talk to you, but I was heading for the mess hall. I'm a bit hungry. So, bye." The three exchange waves and the two lieutenants make acknowledging nods as Shinji leaves the locker room and sets his pace towards the mess hall.

 _I wonder what the deal is with Akagi,_ Shinji ponders to himself as he slowly picks his way through the maze-like collection of corridors and elevators, thinking about what they said about Maya adoring the EVAs and the doctor. _Sure, Misato's got a kind of... unpredictable personality. But that can't be all that there is. Maybe it's something personal between them, or... I should probably not assume too much, but Akagi didn't really seem to care much about_ _ **me**_ _either when I arrived. I really wonder what makes Maya adores Akagi so much?_

 _Well, questions for another day,_ Shinji thinks to himself as he stops at a crossroad, brings up his smartphone he was given by the base personnel to consult the m-app that shows a neat 3D layout of those sections of the base that is generally available.

That is, of the base total volume, about one seventh.

Shinji nods to himself and picks the left corridor. Just as he passes through an arch that seem to contain a set of doors within the wall, presumably to be closed in case the corridor needed to be sealed off, Shinji suddenly sees a flash of pale blue at about eye height, at the corner of his left eye. He thinks he did at least. He decides to pay little thought to it, the mind does play tricks.

He passes through some sort of detector on his way through the corridors, with a large sign hanging on the ceiling saying 'bio-hazard detector, please walk slowly', and then the mess hall opens up before him. Not very large and roughly square-shaped with rectangular tables arranged in long lines and round ones arranged in clusters in every of the four corners. The mess hall is moderately populated at the moment, the noise is not even enough to blur out the sound his shoes make against the metal floor. Shinji doesn't weight very much, he's a bit thin, and his sneakers are pretty soft so he runs silently as it is.

Shinji uses a card that Misato gave him to get a meal, and he sits down at one of the smaller round tables to dig in. He gets to eat in solitude for a couple of minutes, then he sees that blur of blue, only a speck, not nearly as close as last time, but Shinji sees nothing 'unusual' as he hastily throws his eyes around the hall.

He eats for a few more minutes, then suddenly there's a sound that distincts itself from the other ones in a very eerie manner, as if it normally shouldn't stand out from the general buzz; a metallic clanking that seems to echo unnaturally, and it's approaching Shinji's table. He looks up, and when he gets his eyes on the approaching person he stops chewing for a moment.

A mass of pale blue hair, white skin and red eyes, the 15-18 year old girl that is walking up to Shinji is about as close to a ghost you can get without dressing in a white bedsheet and donning a chain. She wears a plugsuit, this one with a white and black colour scheme with a blue gem situated in her solar plexus region. The tech on her suit is much more spread out than on Shinji's, consisting of octagonal blocks placed seemingly at random across the suit, giving a much higher-tech aesthetic.

She holds a very feminine stance, almost stereotypically so, but the look on her face as she regards Shinji is just plain... plain. Nothing at all for Shinji to guess intention or mood, because her mood seems to be _non-existent._

"Shinji Ikari?" the girl says, after a moment's awkward silence has passed in which it seems like the girl was expecting Shinji to say something. Her voice is thin, whispering and coarse, as if she had a sore throat. Shinji blinks, and he hastily swallows his food, "Uh, yeah, that's… Me. Rei, is it?"

She rears her head back a little bit, the fact that Shinji knows her name seeming to catch the girl off-guard. She nonetheless nods, and in a rather ungraceful manner takes a seat opposite Shinji, "Yes, I'm Rei Ayanami." She stiffly clasps her hands on the table and leans forward a bit, head tilted to the side, face still completely expressionless, "I... Don't know if you noticed that I followed you here, uhm..." Now Rei does shows some vestige of emotion as she blushes _very_ slightly, seeming to look for a way to express something, "…I hope you don't mind?"

The question at the end comes out as very tentative, as if Rei was wondering both if he did mind and if that was the right question to ask. Shinji opens his mouth, finds no words and and turns his head very slightly to the side and closes his mouth, frowning as he tries to formulate an answer without meeting the strangely soulless red gaze, "I, uh, honestly didn't see you at all, exempt maybe at that crossroad on the way here. But why did you follow me?"

Rei takes a moment to sit and simply stare at Shinji as if she doesn't understand what he's asking. After a moment liked this she slowly replies, "I was curious about you."

Surprised, Shinji frowns at the reply, "That's flattering, I guess, but now that I think about it, I've seen you before, or at least caught glimpses of you. Were you at the hospital around the time I was there, after the battle?" Shinji leans forward a bit form his side of the table, becoming a bit curious himself. Rei seems totally taken off-guard, again, by this question, and adverts her eyes from Shinji, "...Maybe."

Shinji is about to open his mouth to talk again when he hears the clanking of shoes with heels against NERV's metal floor, again; they're quite natural this time however and when he and Rei looks up Misato is standing next to their table. She's got a cheerful smile on her face, a bit like one of pride. She almost drops her own food plate on the table and sits down with about as much grace as Rei did, and then goes on to say, "Nice to see you too have 'found eachother', so to speak. Good to see you taking initiative, Rei."

The albino girl raises an eyebrow with a blank stare directed at Misato, and the latter cracks a grin for response as she turns to Shinji, "If you hadn't gathered yet, this is Rei Ayanami. She's the pilot of Evangelion Unit-00, which you probably saw on your way from the firing range today. When the next Angel attacks, you two will be cooperating in taking it down. Questions?"

Rei still says nothing, and Shinji nods slowly, "Uh, alright, I guess. About that by the way, do you know when the next Angel is going to attack? Will we have any some sort of heads-up warning?"

"Well, once an Angel show up they're kind of hard to miss, wouldn't you say? But, apart from what our early warning bases can do, that will hopefully all be built and ready before the next Angel shows up... We haven't got a clue!" Misato proclaims and swings her arms out cheerfully as if telling them that was the most important and joyous thing all day. She puts on a wide grin and lets her left arm rest on the backrest of her chair, the other one on the table, and she goes on to say, "There's no way to know when an Angel's going to strike, which means that _you two_ need to stay on your toes. And get to know each other! You two need to get some good teamwork on if you're going to be able to fight the Angels together."

"Yes, ma'am," Rei says flatly, followed by a quick nod from Shinji. Rei then goes on to ask, "Does this mean we will be doing exercises to... 'Get to know each other'?" saying the last sentence at length, affixing Misato with an intent, questioning gaze.

Misato shakes her head at this with a sharp sigh, "No, unfortunately there will be no time for that for a few weeks, Shinji here needs to be brought up to speed on how to properly handle the Eva's different weapons and all. We've got a set amount of time that we can take from your school days, and we're not going to take _**all**_ of your leisure time away. It'll simply have to wait."

"Misato, you know I do not care about 'leisure', I have time to do exercises whenever it is convenient for you and doctor Akagi," Rei sounds slightly annoyed, as if she's had to repeat these lines several times before, "I am sure that the third child can put aside his in order to prepare for the Angels, as well."

"Hey," Shinji snaps, a little bit harsher than he had intended and he hesitates for a moment before going on, "Look, I'm no- I'm not a soldier, I haven't got anything close to the discipline that you seem to have." He stops for a moment, leaning back in order straighten his back and build a little bit of confidence to counter how Rei's attentive stare creeps him out, "And just as Misato mentioned, I can barely handle a gun, how can you then expect me to begin to coordinate actual combat with you _as well_ as firearms training?"

 _Good show of confidence there, genius._

What momentum Shinji build up is however promptly broken as Rei leans forward ever so slightly, still not betraying any emotion on her face but there's venom in her voice as she responds, a subtle sharpness, "I think you should care more about how your choices impact the future, and the people around you. What if you, and as a result I as well, are not adequately prepared when the next Angel appears?" She pauses for a moment, staring intently at Shinji, and then she looks as if she's realized something. "You do not realise how close you were to failing last time, do you?"

Shinji feels how he's beginning to blush, Rei's words hitting him as hard as a physical blow. At this point, however, Misato sees it fit to intervene; she slaps her hand against the table gently and straightens her back, doing a good ol' fashioned job of asserting authority over the two teenagers as she's sitting about a head taller than both of them, "Hey, you two. Ritsuko didn't think that letting me introduce you two to one another was a good idea, and I would very much appreciate it if you refrain from proving her right. Rei, you're both right and wrong here," Misato throws a very brief but significant glance in Shinji's direction, "but bickering over this is no use, the schedule is as it is."

Rei appears pacified by Misato's words, straightening her own back and nods to Misato, with a quick "Very well, ma'am". Shinji says nothing, suppressing the urge to retort with something petty and mean. He simply nods and avoids looking at Rei, straightening his own back as well.

Misato smiles a bit and leans back in the chair again herself, feeling the situation resolved. Rei throws her head around and looks at the giant clock hanging on the wall in a very obvious manner, turns her head back to look first at Misato, then Shinji, say nothing for a second, and then she suddenly rises from the chair, "I should go," and proceeds to do so.

Misato sighs; she looks at Shinji, "That wasn't the reaction I'd have hoped for... Oh well. Now at least you have something to fight for outside of fighting the Angels, I guess; gaining the... _Trust_ at least, of Rei. She's not much for the whole _friends_ idea, I've found. You could say she's good at Rei-jecting people."

Misato grins at her joke, and opens her mouth with a look of revelation on her face for a moment before actually saying something, "I need to spread that one. The running gag of Rei-jection! I'm a fuckin' genius!"

Shinji frowns and, despite not exactly having warmed up for Rei he feels like that'd be a bit mean, "And you don't think that'd be a bit mean?"

Misato raises both her eyebrows and breaks into a short chuckle at Shinji's comment; she calms herself down and smiles at Shinji, "True. I can almost _hear_ Ritsuko's reaction to the whole thing; 'She's a fucking idiot'," Misato says in a condescending mimicry of Dr. Akagi's voice.

Shinji doesn't really pay attention to Misato any more, his thoughts revolve around Rei. _If she's here, and already an experienced EVA pilot by the sounds of it, why am I needed? Can't just she handle the whole Angel situation with Unit-00? Selfish of me, sure, but I ain't army material, and she seems rather dedicated to piloting. And from where does she get that kind of motivation?_

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

The simple glass tube in which Rei stands is one of the things in NERV she is really glad was designed in this manner. Elevators are usually not anything special, but this one seems made out a glass-like amterial that gives off a reflection of her that's vaguer than mirrors usually do, and she feels more comfortable looking at herself like this; for reasons that you, the reader, will not be privy to for quite some time.

Outside the lift there's a black nothingness, the empty rock that the tube is going down through. Then it passes a short layer of a crimson red material, unevenly coloured and the different tints shift constantly like dark pink clouds against a red sky, and suddenly the lift enters a huge facility of sorts. The ceiling is covered in enormous, bulging pipes and the lift deposits Rei on the edge of a depression in the flat stone floor, one that after sinking about two metres and going ten metres out from where Rei is standing ends with a plain glass cylinder exactly two metres in diameter.

The ground underneath her bare feet is ridden with symbols and were one to observe the floor from the ceiling there is a very clear pattern to these markings. The air is hot partially because of how deep down into the Earth the facility lies and partially due to the machines working all around Rei, even though the underground cavity is enormous, larger than a football field in terms of floor space and almost a hundred metres to the ceiling.

The space beyond the glass cylinder in front of Rei is clad in darkness, the only outlines visible being a trench of sorts running into the darkness after beginning just on the opposite side of the glass cylinder. It separates into several smaller lanes as it goes that extend to the sides like an irrigation system, a reddish glow eminating from within the only light that marks the trench's presence.

Rei breathes in, mentally preparing, and then takes the final steps forward to the cylinder. It opens to her presence, and she steps inside. Once inside the glass walls enclose her, and a white-and-grey plug suit-like garment is lowered down, separated into front and back so that the arms holding the suit can simply enclose Rei in it. The suit is much less bulky than the other plugsuits, without much of the tech her usual plug suit contains, and exempt for the large connection node attached to the suit's back, which a bluish tube is attached, doesn't have any blocky mechanical components at all, only small, smooth "mounds" of electronics upon the skin-tight material the suit is made of.

From the bottom LCL starts filling into the cylinder and sections of the glass cylinder is darkened, one black line coming to life as a golden holographic display, but Rei doesn't bother with it. The floor gives away underneath her but the calm inflow of LCL keeps her floating anyway. She lets the connected node in her back do its work and as the LCL fills over her head she closes her eyes.

A silent humming noise echoes throughout the enormous facility; the pipes in the ceiling throb and vibrate as liquid start passing through them, like noisy plumbing, and the giant space behind the cylinder lights up, LCL filling up the trenches. The voices begin whispering, barely audible over the noise of the machinery.

Small crimson nodes lining the sides of the trenches begin giving off a blood-red glow and a final set of lights are turned on in the far background; casting a dim light over a plain blood red cross tall as a sky-scraper, on which an equally enormous white shape is nailed.

 _Welcome home._

 **End of chapter 4.**


	5. Skyfall (chapter 5)

Author's note.

I noticed that I lost about 50% of readers back in chapter 3 (as in, about half of those who read chapters 1, 2 and 3 didn't read 4). I realize chapter 3 may have seemed like a bit of a filler chapter, and chapter 4 might not have been much better for some, but I promise the action's coming on again! Honest!

End of Author's note.

 **Chapter 5: Skyfall** **.**

And so, training goes on for the commander's son. _I don't think the RN-8 box has seen this much use in the past half year put together as it has seen these last few days, not since we got Unit-00 sorted out. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the DN-8 box performs once we start holding regular synch tests with the pilots, and-_

"Ma'am, we're picking up a slight malfunction in the Definitive Synchronization limiter unit again. The pilot's interface headset is reporting an increased min-max value in the synchronisation rates, it's increased to a whole percent."

Ritsuko Akagi is pulled out of her own personal thoughtscape by Maya, the latter turning her head to look up at her proverbial boss. Ritsuko takes a moment to re-cap what Maya said in her head and then bends down to look at what her station's information feed is displaying, "Alright, well... I think you can handle re-aligning the values without us having to disrupt the firing exercise. You could use that particular experience in the future, I imagine."

Maya frowns up at Ritsuko for a moment, and tries to conjure up enough confidence to look professional in front of Shigeru, who's most likely glancing over at her from his station; slowly she lays her fingers down upon the keyboard, and Ritsuko breaks into a small smile as Maya begins re-balancing the various values gauges, making sure that the Evangelion's limiter units are in proper alignment with the on-board computers and so on and so forth.

Ritsuko nods to herself, pleased, and glances down to her right. The cup of coffee's still there. She picks it up, and takes a sip.

" _That coffee's cooold..."_ someone sing-songs.

Ritsuko grimaces. Misato's right, it might as well have been taken freshly out from the fridge. She slowly puts the cup down with a blank face, licks her lips and she ponders for a moment with a blank expression whether or not to go and make a new cup. Deciding against it she turns around and asks Misato, "So, how's Shinji handling that rifle? Getting better?"

Misato seems a bit surprised at Ritsuko's question, turning on her heel with mouth hanging open for a moment before she responds, "Oh, fine, fine. He's learning fast, I'll give 'im credit for that. If anything, I'd expected a lot more complaining."

Ritsuko nods simply, "Alright, well, all me and Maya are really doing now is basic system configuration and overwatch, we don't actually need this to go on any further. Just call when you feel like we're finished." Misato nods in acknowledgement, and Ritsuko turns back to Maya to check on the latter's progress, "Well, look at you. This is much better, we've got a 0,442 percent variance now. Good work, Maya."

"Thank you, ma'am," Maya replies with as large a grin that you'll ever see on her small face, that is a rather small one and somewhat shy, "But if I'll have to do this a lot in the future, I think I'm going to have to practice in my off-time..."

"No no, you did quite alright, Maya." Ritsuko gives a reassuring pat on Maya's shoulder, contrasting with her trademark dry and professional tone. "But yes, you'll probably have to do it again in the future," the blonde points out with a thoughtful expression, hands in her labcoat's pockets, "something is bound to eventually fail or get damaged in combat."

Misato then spins on her heel to face the two scientists, sporting a smug grin and a hand on Makato's shoulder, "Well we'll make sure you don't have to! Evangelion combat tactics department here to make NERV scientists jobless, guaranteed since 2010!"

Ritsuko raises an eyebrow, and scoffs at Misato's claim with an exaggeratedly exasperated expression, coupled with a smile, "Well, if your tactical prowess was so great, then you should've thought of bringing _me_ a new, warm cup of coffee. If it wasn't for me and Maya here, the Evangelions will be defeated by _corrosion!"_

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

The firearms sessions were finished for the day, and Makato decided to take the time off to go over the tactical layout of Tokyo-3's fortress emplacements. The city is quite heavily defended, with missile silos hidden in practically every mountainside, walls of guns hanging beneath the metal surface of Tokyo-3 ready to be lifted up whenever an Angel shows up. Mostly heavy artillery, fixed ones that wouldn't be of much use against a human-sized invasion force, but that's not what they were designed for.

At this time the defence grid is not exactly in fighting condition, unfortunately. Only the missile silos hidden in the mountains are actually battle-ready, and some of the weapons at Tokyo-3's perimeter itself are not even _constructed_ yet, let alone cleared for use. Work is being done 'round the clock but it's his and Misato's job to clear out the paperwork on NERV-3's end, which means a constant flow of paper that hasn't shown any sign of ebbing during the last week.

On his way to his office, Makato suddenly gets a call from Misato. "Come over to my office, I need to go over something with you, it's about the early warning stations," she says, "It seems like we've finally gotten approval for having those additional AT field scanners made and installed."

 _Guess what that means,_ Makato thinks to himself, _what little afternoon I had left was just crushed under another pile of paperwork._

Makato nods, for a moment unconscious to the fact that Misato can't actually see him do that across the cellphone line, "Well alright, have you sent requests for the necessary papers and blueprints? We're practically going to have to re-design and build the scanners ourselves, and as far as I know doctors Akagi and Ikari are the only ones here that even know how they work."

They have to build the scanners themselves because the scanner that the MAGI uses is god-damn massive, and would never fit in a small early warning outpost that must form itself after a certain budget and stealth requirements; and the MAGI's scanner also happen to have been built five years ago. Makato frowns a bit as he starts wrapping his mind around the fact that a whole new project just entered his ever-changing day-to-day.

"I've already received the papers and blueprints, actually," Misato replies, "All we have to do now is to sit down and discuss designs for a prototype with Yui, Shigeru and Dr. Akagi. The sooner the better too, I'm sure you'll agree."

Makato enters an elevator that takes him down to the floor below as he listens; he sets off through the corridors again, "Fair enough." He goes silent for a moment, then he cracks a small grin, "I sure am glad we don't have to bother with this any further once the prototype is ready for construction, and the techies take over; all of this is going to slam down on poor Shigeru's desk, isn't it?"

Misato in turn chuckles in an 'I feel sorry for him but it's still funny' kind of way. Makato opens the next door; it's the one that leads into Misato's office. He enters just to see Misato brush a wisp of hair out of her face, and open her mouth to say something else into the phone. She freezes for a split second and spins on her heel to see Makato closing the door behind himself, putting his smartphone away. She grins and puts her own on phone the table, leaning forward over the backrest of her chair, elbows on the edge. _"Yeah, but you_ are going to work with him on this one. If we leave all this to Shigeru and the MD's you know what'll happen. You remember last time we undertook a construction project of this magnitude."

Makato does remember; it was when the technical division were to build the Eva-sized gatling gun. They built the thing, but then someone had a failure to communicate, and the weapon was simply left to sit in their R&D storehouse for almost a month before Misato at complete random thought of asking how development was going. It was revealed that it had already been built, and Unit-00 had to literally go and fetch it so that trials could begin.

"I'll make a note of that, colonel," Makato replies wryly. "And by the way-"

"C'mon Makato," Misato interrupts, her shoulders slumping together with her smile widening, "You know you don't have to 'colonel' me unless the commander's watchin'. What is it?"

Makato's lips stretch into a small smile, he crosses his arms across his chest, "I was going to ask, _Misato,_ what's become of Shinji now that he's here? Is he staying with his parents? I imagine he isn't..." His voice trails off, as if he was waiting for the answer to a question that sounds more like a statement.

"No," Misato responds, voice becoming a bit weary for a moment as she goes on, "I took him in, of course. I-..." She halts herself to think over what to say for a moment, "I don't know, whadaya think? Am I cut out to be a mother?" she makes a somewhat exaggerated expression of concern, head tilted to the side somewhat as she looks to Makato for answers.

"I'm not sure Yui's going to let you take over that particular position. Even though I'd think both she and the commander are a bit too busy to care for a kid right now, I'm reasonably sure they'll at least like to keep some manner of care for him." Makato leans against a drawer with his arms still crossed, giving Misato a doubtful look. "Not that I think they doubt your ability to care _sufficiently_ for him, of course."

Misato slumps her head down to look at the seat of the chair she's leaning on, running her left hand through her hair with a grin, and then she looks back up at Makato looking a little bit tired all of a sudden, "Well, no motherhood for me, then. I guess I can work with 'babysitter'. At least I get a nice and close eye on 'im."

Makato tilts his head to the side a little, "Don't you have the title of babysitter already? What about Rei?"

"Rei doesn't count, she doesn't live at my place. Although, I am still her guardian, and she does only live next door." Misato stops for a moment, tapping her right index finger against the backrest that she's still leaning against, "I do check on her regularly, and she keeps insisting that she manages by herself, but... Should I ask her to move over to my place?" She adapts the same 'forlorn dog' expression she tends to wear whenever she becomes indecisive about something that's important to her and is looking for guidance.

Makato thinks for a moment. "Good question. I don't think it would make much of a difference to you really, Rei isn't known as the ghost of NERV-3 for nothing."

This prompts a sombre smile from Misato, and she pushes herself off the chair, "Yeah... I know it's probably not what makes Rei... **Who** and **how** she is, but still; to be so hard to notice, combined with her general indifference towards people caring about her she must lead the most lonely life on the planet. Sometimes I get this nagging worry, that she doesn't actually value her own life at all."

Misato lets a heavy sigh escape her, and she tips her head down for a moment, breathes in, and a small grin spreads over her features, "Wow... I never think I've vented like this to you before, I-I'm sorry."

Makato smiles a little, tilting his head down and to the side to try to make eye contact with Misato even though her face is still turned away, "Well, it's good that you care about her. Maybe you should try to remind her of that more directly next time you go to check on her. Like you said, she doesn't seem to care about being paid attention to, but maybe if you try hard enough, you could change that."

Misato looks up and smiles a smile that very few exempt for Makato has ever been privy too. She turns her eyes to the side for a moment, humbled, and then looks back at him, "You'd make an infinitely better mother than I, Shigeru."

The two share in a light chuckle.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

 _School. Urgh…_

This wasn't Shinji's first day at school. Third. It was a school way larger than its complement of students at the moment, since a large part of Tokyo-3's population had packed up and left after the first battle against the Fourth Angel. Shinji's own class contains only ten students; he hasn't gotten to know any of them particularly well, just short conversations about the school computers malfunctioning here and talk about what they'll be doing the next gymnastics lesson there. Shinji did not look forward to that, it's been swelteringly warm these last few days.

Then one day, he got a PM from someone, when he was sitting with the computer outside during lunch recess after having eaten to write on an assignment. It asked:

"EVA pilot, y/n?

Shinji froze. How did they know? _I guess my arrival just a few days after the first battle tipped them off. Maybe they know Rei's a pilot and asked her? But would she tell? Probably not._

He taps the computer's touch pad restlessly, considering whether or not to reveal it. _They'll corner me and learn the truth sooner or later_. He sighs, and types in "Yes."

Movement catches Shinji in the corner of his eye and suddenly he's surrounded by staring faces: a tall, tough-looking and grim-faced guy with carbon-black hair, a shorter brown-haired guy with glasses and a more gaunt appearance, and a girl with a kind smile and brown hair tied up in twin pigtails. The latter is Hiari, Shinji remembers, the class rep. The others he can't say he knows by name.

"So, ya' are a pilot after all?" the tall guy states, not sounding too interested. The glasses guy besides him however leans forward, doing nothing to hide his own excitement, "That's so cool! It was you who fought the monster?" He balls his hands halfway into fists before him, palms up in an almost praying fashion, "That must mean you really _do_ know Rei!"

Shinji, being firmly pressed up against the wall behind him to keep the glasses guy at a decent distance, not sure what to think about his way of talking about Rei in combination with the way he gently massages the air with his hands, is glad to see the girl in the group gently pull on Kensuke's shoulder, giving Shinji some space.

"Steady now, Kensuke," she says with a giggle, glancing apologetically at Shinji. "He has a bit of a fancy for Rei."

"That was quick." Shinji frowns lightly, amazed that Rei has been found out as well, "She's no better than me at covering her tracks, I guess?"

Hiari shakes her head, and begins with, "She's been in our class for several years, Kensuke has had plenty of time to overcome his irritation of Rei's… Quirks."

 _Only took him a few years?_

"And as for covering her tracks," Hiari continues, "she hasn't had any tracks to cover until an… Incident, a month or so ago before you came here. It's why she's all bandaged up."

The tall guy continues at Shinji's confused expression, "They were running some sorta' test with one of the EVAs out in the mountains. Kensuke here obviously dragged me up there too to check it out too, and we came just in time to see this giant orange-and-white robot thing break free of its restraints, waste a few buildings in its berserker rage, and then this rube shot out of its back."

Shinji's frown only grows as he hears this, "The entry plug? But why is she hurt then, it's designed to land safely if ejected."

"Actually," Kensuke injects and pushes up his glasses along the bridge of his nose, "the plug is fitted with retro-rockets to slow the plug's descent, but something seem to have gone wrong with them; the plug hit the ground after falling nearly a hundred metres."

"She probably would've broken more than just her arm if the plug had hit somethin' a little harder than dirt," Toji adds.

Shinji takes a good few moments to mull over this, saying nothing. _I suppose that might explain her mood… I still have nightmares of when Unit-01 went berserk, and I didn't break my arm for my trouble._

"Rei has kept dead silent about the EVAs though, so now it comes down to _you_!" Kensuke proclaims, "You'll tell us all about the Evangelions, right, right, _right_?"

"W-what? N-no, I can't talk a-about that!" Shinji stammers out. He should have expected to be questioned by the Evangelions, really, but the sheer intensity of the questioning catches him somewhat off guard.

"C'mooon! At least tell us how you were selected! Every kid in this school is eligible to be selected, you _have_ to tell us how it works!" Kensuke persists. Toji and Hiari exchange glances, the former shrugging and turning around, evidently not interested.

"I don't know how it works! And I wouldn't tell you if I knew!" Shinji retorts, "One day I just got the message and I was shipped off to this city."

"But-" Kensuke starts again, but this time Toji spins on his heel with an irritated groan, "Kensuke, lay off it! Ya' know, _you_ _know,_ that this stuff is top secret an' all! He can't tell what he can't tell."

"Hey guys, calm down," Hiari injects before anyone can say anything else.

"Why would you want to be chosen as a pilot anyway?" Shinji has a certain gloomy undertone to his voice that catches the attention of the other three, and he presses his point, "There's nothing fun with piloting an Evangelion. It only gets you hurt."

Kensuke frowns, "But it's a giant armoured mech! How can you possibly get hurt while inside one of those things?"

"The last battle gave me this." Shinji pulls up his fringe and reveals an angry red burn mark running up his forehead, above his left eye; when he closes his eyelid it's just as red. Kensuke pales somewhat, as does Hiari, but Toji looks unfazed.

Shinji glares at Kensuke, and rises, packing up his computer, "Don't fool yourself; it's just like fighting in any other war."

The argument seems to ring clear and loud with Kensuke, as Shinji had hoped; previous class had been history, and they had talked about the Second Impact Wars. The wars that followed after a micro-meteor struck Antarctica in the year 2000, melting the entire polar cap instantly and sending Earth into a period of climate disaster of which like hasn't been seen in human times. Nuclear exchanges, armies clashing over resources vital to their nations' survival. In central Europe and Asia the fighting had been especially bloody considering how technologically advanced their weapons were.

Seeing that Kensuke finally seems subdued enough to not immediately talk back, Shinji walks off. He gets to his locker before Hiari catches up to him. "I don't think you were being fair to Kensuke. He's a tad single-minded, sure, but you were a little hard on him."

"I was only telling the truth," Shinji says defensively, stowing the computer into his locker, "Shouldn't I have?"

Hiari leans back against the locker next to Shinj's, arms crossed, "Sure, but you don't think you could've been a little gentler? He's been full of the Evangelions ever since NERV put up shop here."

"Well, he shouldn't be, and you shouldn't encourage him." Shinji pulls out his math book and assorted items like pen and eraser, "The Evangelions are crazy, and I wouldn't be surprised to see one of them do as much damage to this city as any of the things it's supposed to fight might do one day."

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

It was mentioned earlier how warm a day it was. True this, and Shinji decided to take advantage of it. Having gotten home from school and finding that Misato wasn't home, Shinji decided to look around the apartment complex. It didn't take him long to find the stairs leading up to the roof of the building, and these deposited him on a slightly elevated platform besides a water cistern, highest place on the entire complex it seems.

So there he lay down, listening to some music tracks he'd downloaded into the NERV smartphone. There wasn't too much wind up there, since the cistern acted as a buffer, but the breeze was just enough to keep the high temperature at a comfortable level. His head was shaded from the sun by the cistern as well, so that he could look into the sky and simply not think of anything.

He must've closed his eyes and fallen asleep at some point though, because when Shinji is shoved back into awareness it's gotten darker, much because clouds have filled the afternoon skies and the wind has picked up somewhat. The sun can only be seen as a faint white dot against the cloud layer, and Shinji decides that it may be a good idea to get inside, something which his hungry stomach seems to agree on.

But just as he's about to get up, stowing his earphones back into a pocket there comes a strange sound from the other side of town. And then suddenly a screeching alarm goes through the city, a very special alarm.

 **Evacuate all multi-lane roads and large open spaces** _ **immediately**_ **and head for your designated shelters** **  
A citywide emergency has just be declared  
** **This is not a drill**

All over the city these messages are being flashed on commercial screens, TV's, even GPS displays. The alarm is the one that is only played when people must seek shelter because of an attack of nuclear scale.

Or angelic.

Shinji is on his feet in an instant, the first thought that goes through his head being _Why hasn't NERV contacted me?_ He looks around and is about to make a dash for the exit when he feels a very slight tremor, and then he sees Evangelion unit 00 being released from the railing locks on the magnetic rails that brought it to the surface, about a block away. The EVA begins marching in a hurried pace towards the central park, and Shinji makes the qualified guess that an Angel is about to show up. _Gotta get to NERV pronto,_ he thinks as he sets of at a running pace through the door and down the stairs.

He remembers what Misato once told him; in the event of a situation like this N3 Intelligence Agency agents would be waiting to take him to NERV down at the garage. So that's where he went, and indeed there the same black car waits for him, the same agents as last time. As he runs up to the car one of the agents says that all satellite communications are down, so they don't know what is going on either. Off to NERV they are.

The car speeds on across the completely abandoned city, the only sound that can be heard over the sound of the engine being the alarm outside. The car takes a turn and Shinji can again see Unit-00. It's standing on top of a large, metal pillar that's been raised from the ground out of a hill in the city's central park. It's looking up towards the sky, and as Shinji follows the Eva's gaze he can see an irregularly pulsing orange glow in the clouds. There's a faint white flash, and suddenly the greying clouds are raptured by a shower of molten fire, raining down upon Unit-00. It doesn't even flinch as pieces of burning, melting metal plummets straight down towards it, but the EVA's AT-field forms above it, holding the debris up as they cool, and then they're let through, falling down to the park beneath, ruining it completely as it's bombarded by the sometimes car-sized lumps of metal.

Then, just as the last fireball cools and falls to the ground, the very air outside the car seems to begin to vibrate a little and the ground trembles. Shinji's facial expression goes from confused to grim as not only the clouds but seemingly the very sky is cloven by what looks to Shinji like a great bright green eye, the pupil a shining white point of light. As it descends through the scattering clouds it is revealed that it's not really an eye, but only layers of colour that slowly pulse out from the point of light in the centre upon a black surface, the different waves each taking on each of the colours of the rainbow. Extending out from each 'pole' of the oval form there are finger-like strands like feathers, with the same flowing colours that are revealed as these break through the cloud layer too, casting a brilliant crimson light over the city as the Angel still seems red-hot from atmospheric entry, even though it's not falling very quickly.

All in all the Angel is enormous, well over a kilometre in width. Unit-00 is dwarfed by the descending mass, looking like a lone person trying to catch the Titanic falling down on them. The EVA clenches its fists, a high-pitched whining sound goes through the city, and in a whirlwind the grass is blown clean from the park as the Eva expands its AT-field fully, then to reach up for the Angel in the sky. With a massive boom the Angel impacts with Unit-00's AT-field, the pillar that the Eva stands on sinks down by several metres and Unit-00 almost folds under the Angel's weight, its legs and arms bending, its head tipped down. But it holds.

Then a building comes in the way of Shinji's vision, and he's pushed into his seat hard as the agent driving the car speeds up. They turn a corner, skidding over into the other lane with screeching tires. They enters a car lift that speeds down towards the GeoFront. As the lift takes the two agents and Shinji down to NERV Shinji can see how civilian buildings are being lowered down and the Evangelion weapon stores ascending to the surface, the perimeter defence systems remaining downside, for obvious reasons.

The ride down to the garage is unsettlingly uneventful but the suspense is palpable, and Shinji doesn't even get time to get out of the car before Misato is there, pulling him by the arm and shouting something about there not being time, how communication satellites have been destroyed by the Angel. It's all a blur as he's led to the cages, not bothering with his plugsuit. _For the best, Rei won't be able to both hold up forever herself._

Tremors can occasionally be felt as they head directly to the cages without interruption. Shinji gets into the entry plug and as the systems start up around him Yui's voice breaks into the plug, "We're synching you as we go here. You're already being moved to the launch pad, so you'll finish synchronisation just as we launch. Okay?"

"Whatever works!" Shinji responds making a few mental exercises to try and calm himself; not remembering to think of his fear of piloting the EVA amidst the chaos and not wanting to think about what Rei must be going through holding up the Angel like that. _Let's make this quick._

"You serious?! Where'd my wifi go?"

Toji growls angrily at his smartphone, and tries to restart it. Meanwhile Kensuke tries and again fails to connect his camcorder to the TV channels, with a little antenna he's connected to the desert beige video camera, "The entire net is down… And your wifi too? That's rather strange."

"What's going on, bro?" asks the ten-year-old girl sitting beside Toji, looking up at him with the large, azure blue eyes. She's sitting playing a game on her own smartphone, not bothered by the sudden complete loss of internet and other satellite connection that so troubles the two older boys.

"Nothing, sis, just the internet screwing around," Toji replies with a sweet smile. They're sitting on a bench at the edge of one of Tokyo's larger parks, waiting for a bus ride home – Toji's little sister Sakura had been to the dentist, and Toji dragged Kensuke along to pick her up.

"You know, Toji, it's really strange that _every_ TV network and the internet would go down all at once… I mean, look around you, the power's still on in the city," Kensuke mumbles, "Something must've happened to the satellites above Japan themselves…"

There's a rumbling in the skies above. Toji and Kensuke both look up while Sakura plays on with her smartphone undisturbed, "Weird noise… No storm clouds, those," Toji says, confounded. The cloud cover is relatively heavy but they're as white as they could be.

The rumbling again, and this time they can both look in the precise direction of the noise, almost directly above. Kensuke's camcorder then beeps, and looking down at it he sees that he's connected to the TV channels again. His face swiftly pales however at the message that's being displayed across all channels;

 **Evacuate all multi-lane roads and large open spaces** _ **immediately**_ **and head for your designated shelters** **  
A citywide level five emergency has just be declared  
** **This is not a drill**

"Uhm, Toji…" he begins, but is then silenced by a light tremor. Even Sakura has looked up at this point and they all three slowly swivel their necks around towards where a mechanical whirring sound can be heard, and then a huge orange-and-white shape quite literally shoots up out of a nearby street.

"It's an Evangelion!" Kensuke shouts, at once to his feet and recording. Realization strikes, and he freezes, slowly turning his head to Toji, "…Why is there an Evangelion out here…?"

Toji gets to his feet and takes Sakura by the hand, who rises as well, confused, "Whatever the reason is it's bad; let's get out of here. C'mon, Sakura."

"But I wanna see Eva!" Sakura protests, pointing towards the cyclopean Evangelion. With a loud clanking it's released from its bindings and makes a brisk pace, marching straight on towards where they're sitting, shaking the ground with each step. The fight immediately goes out of the little girl and she starts tugging on Toji's arm, "Ruuuuun!"

Just as the three turn to do exactly that a loud rumbling sound can be heard overhead, and the wooshing sound of something rapidly falling makes the three look up again. Neither of them have time to react, and a fiery ball of partially molten metal strikes the ground between Toji and Kensuke; the scorching heat alone throws all three of them off their feet. Toji instinctively wraps himself around his sister as they fall, landing on the ground with her over him, but it was too late: she wails louder than a siren, severe burn marks covering her hands and legs, below her shorts, and her clothes have suffered as well.

The Evangelion towering above them, now only one of its footsteps away, seem to hear Sakura's agonized screaming, and stops. It turns its head down towards them, and slowly kneels, showing great agility for something so large. An electronic, female voice Kensuke swear he recognizes comes out of a speaker somewhere on the mech's head, "Why are you here? You are supposed to be evacuated."

 _That soulless tone..._ "Ayanami?!" Kensuke shouts up at the Evangelion, his excitement over seeing one this up-close overriding his survival instincts just to the point that he hasn't crapped his pants yet. The cyclops seem to ignore the question and its great eye turns very slightly to the side, looking down at the crying Sakura, "You are hurt?"

Toji, who also seems to've recognized Rei's voice by now, looks up towards the EVA, "Rei, she's burnt herself! Please help!"

Kensuke then shouts and points upwards; another fireball is falling from the sky, directly at the Evangelion. It again ignores him however and continues, "I shall call a helicopter to come and pick you up." Kensuke shouts again, and the fireball closes the final metres with Rei's EVA – and explodes against a faintly rippling golden glow, the fires licking the force field that's manifested over the EVA's back, and Kensuke can't help but squeal with pure nerd glee.

"Help is on the way," the Evangelion's voice cooly states, "You should move away from the park. The Angel is approaching." It then rises and pays them no further mind, eating another fireball right in the face that its golden barrier again defends it from.

Carrying his still crying sister in one arm Toji grabs Kensuke by the other, "C'mon man, we gotta get outa' here!"

Kensuke reluctantly lets himself get dragged along by Toji, filming the EVA as its marches up to the centre of the park, which is made up of a low hill. Stepping up, the hill suddenly start rising, and the Evangelion is lifted almost a hundred metres up into the air on an enormous metal platform that was hidden beneath it.

Running over the road their buss were supposed to come down along, they hear the sound of a helicopter approaching in the distance. They stop and wave; the red-and-white medical transport helicopter makes a sweep over the park, staying well clear of Unit-00, and then seem to spot them, descending to land. A car can be seen in the distance. _What idiots are out driving now?_ Toji thinks to himself.

As the helicopter draws close, Kensuke suddenly raises his camcorder high and starts marching back towards the park.

"Kensuke, are ya' mad?!" Toji shouts after him, but staying put, his crying sister still in his arms.

The bespectacled teen turns around and shouts "Get to the helicopter!" back, "I've gotta see this! It's the opportunity of a lifetime, I can't live on if I let it pass!"

Toji groans, rolling his eyes, and repeats, intoning each word to be heard over the helicopter, "Kensuke; _are_ , _you_ , _mad?!_ " glaring towards him from the other side of the now landed aircraft.

But Kensuke pretends to not hear, and sets a steady pace back towards the bench they previously occupied, camcorder held high.

Then the clouds part in a great flurry of colours, a great black eye staring down at him; his eyes sting and his head aches simply by looking directly upon the thing, as if it's a being defying human comprehension, as if it was never supposed to be viewed through human eyes. Kensuke lets out a drawn-out groaning noise, falls onto his knees and then collapses on the asphalt, the memory of staring up at the being, his very vision rippled and twisted with staring at something to incomprehensible the only thing his dreams consists of as the medical helicopter picks him up too and lifts off.

 **End of chapter 5.**


	6. Eye of the storm (chapter 6)

**Chapter 6: Eye of the storm.**

Absolute peace.

With Unit-00's AT field spread out like wings around her, Rei sits in absolute peace and quiet within the gently vibrating confines of her entry plug, like sitting on a bus but with all exterior impressions blocked out.

The walls of the entry plug have turned a shade of crimson, and reflective like glass or crystal; streaks of red like raindrops running down a window travel upwards along the entry plug walls, carrying with them from the depths of the entry plug faint voices whispering her name, as well as several random phrases, most common of which is; "What is this pain, Lilin?"

A deep breath and a muttered command partially silences the voices.

She can still see the chaos raging outside, and lazily turns her head forward, and upward; there the face of the Angel still stares down upon her, not into the one-eyed face of the EVA but directly down at its chest, where Rei is confined. The Angel grew a body out of the central eye of its mass when Rei stepped up to confront it; it grew a head with eyes of gold and spindly little arms and hands that it's now pressing against Unit-00's AT field with, mere inches away from the EVA's own, as the unit maintains the barrier about a kilometre in diameter that's holding the Angel from smashing down into Tokyo-3 Armageddon style.

A dull, aching but sudden pain bites into Rei's arms, her fingers spasming as she struggles to keep a hold of the butterfly controls on each side of her seat. She quenches a scream, biting together hard as she glances to the side; Unit-00's lower arm bones have fractured, but as of yet it's just cracks and not a complete breaking. Rei's plugsuit injects her with some more painkillers but her own lower arms still pound, feeling swollen. The rest of her body aches as well and her head is starting to swim from all the painkiller injections, but she's grateful as she would probably be halfway fainting from pain instead were it not for her suit's life support systems, considering the stress her Evangelion is under.

She calmly turns her head around, trying to sense any other AT fields besides the Angel's pushing against that of Unit-00.

Nothing.

 _Where's my evac?_ Rei ponders, recalling a quote befitting her situation from that videogame she saw Makato playing once. She figures, with the chaos of the Angel's descent that the Fourth Child might not even have been brought to NERV yet, and the JSSDF cannot help her now.

Not content with resigning to being crushed by the Angel just yet, she bites together again and attempts to straighten out her EVA's slightly bent posture, resigning herself to wait calmly for a few more minutes.

–

–

It almost feels like Shinji can feel the wind buffeting his own face as the EVA ascends above ground and is deposited unto Tokyo-3's streets by the lift; he raises Unit-01's head and stares for a moment up towards the source of the storm: Unit-00 standing slightly bent beneath the bulbous form of the Angel, with its wings spread like flower petals from its central, oval mass. An enormous AT field separates them, the brutal forces at play keeping the Angel in the sky whipping up dirt and grass and cars and the like from the surrounding park, with Unit-00 standing in the eye of the storm.

The locks release Unit-01, and Shinji immediately breaks into a sprint; it's a little stumbling at first, but he quickly picks up enough speed that the city turns to a blur for the moment before he reaches the park. He leaps, draws his knife in the air without even thinking about it, at least not consciously, and aims towards the humanoid body that extends down from the Angel's central mass. An AT field manifests in the knife's path, but the field is shredded by the sheer force of Shinji's charge combined with his own field; and his knife digs deep into the torso protruding from the Angel's central eye, digging a grove downwards as Shinji struggles to keep himself from falling down on top of Rei.

"Do you see the core?" He can hear Misato say over the intercom, and he flails his head around in search for the thing.

"Above you…" Rei then injects, over her own intercom: the strain upon her voice, as well as her suddenly talking altogether startles Shinji, and looking directly up he can indeed see it, seeming to hang on a thread on the outer rim of the Angel's central eye. He unceremoniously pulls his knife out from where it was previously lodged in the Angel's flesh and stabs upwards – and is stopped half-way by the Angel reaching up and grabbing his hand, holding it down.

Shinji struggles against its grip, putting every ounce of strength he can gather up from the EVA's arm against the Angel. "I can't move my arm, the Angel is too strong!"

"Just keep the Angel's AT field neutralized, Shinji, help is on the way!" Misato barks, he can hear her shouting something about launching in the background as Shinji focuses on spreading his unit's AT field, doing so just by thinking _AT field, max power_ , and as the gauge showing AT field strength rises he's overtaken by a surprising calm, silence slowly descending over his surroundings; the raging thunder of the wind and the clattering of debris against the EVA's armour slowly fade, and he feels like he can think so much more clearly than ever before, as if his mind has opened up. A meditation-like clarity overtakes him, even though he still has to will his EVA to cling on to the Angel.

Then something else comes creeping up on him. Something that's accompanied by a growing sense of dread. If he could sweat within the liquid medium of the LCL he probably would have started to round about now; the walls of the plug start closing in around him and as the AT field grows he gets a progressively stronger feeling that the world has shrunk to just the evangelion he's sitting in, but he's never been claustrophobic.

The unease grows and grows and when at least the sound of the storming winds are muted completely and only the sound of the silently beeping instruments remain Shinji can't contain a terrified gasp, and he releases the grip of his controls; at once he's assaulted by the full raging force of the battle outside again, Shinji glances to the side to see his AT field power gauge fallen back to normal levels, and the panic recedes.

"Shinji, what are you doing?!" Misato suddenly breaks into the intercom.

"Your AT field partially collapsed Shinji, what's wrong?" Ritsuko follows, and Yui injects, "Focus, please."

Steeling himself Shinji tries again, the AT field gauge rising… And then that feeling of dread creeps up on him again and the field collapses again as he loses focus, "I-I'm sorry, I don't know what-"

"Shinji, do you think Rei has the option to quit?" Misato barks, "Get the field up again!"

"I can't! I-" Shinji begins to protest, but then he's broken off by Rei mumbling "Stand by" and then things happen very quickly: the AT field Unit-00 projects to hold the Angel up disappears, a pop-up window on Shinji's display says "AT FIELD SOURCE: ANGEL, NEUTRALIZED"; Shinji who happens to have his head turned to the left can then see a missile approaching fast. It speeds past his field of view just as the Angel starts falling to the ground, no longer supported by Rei's AT field. Shinji turns his head just in time to see the missile impact against the Angel's core, producing no fireball but the core itself shines up with a brilliant fiery glow for a split second before shattering in a shower of blood, and the Angel itself then explodes, consuming Shinji's vision in brilliant purple energy.

–

–

Once the light shining through his eyelids has faded, Shinji open his eyes again and takes in his surroundings. Unit-01 is sitting half buried in red-glowing dirt, Unit-00 standing in a kneeling position with glowing earth up to its right ankle and left knee. It slowly rises, being careful not to support itself on its arms as it does so, and slowly walks over to Unit-01, as Shinji is in the process of rising himself, with much less grace.

"Are you hurt?" asks the digital voice of Unit-00's PEVC (Pilot External Voice Communicator) in Unit-01's general direction. Shinji taps a button on his left-hand control stiffly and answers a stumbling "No", worried she'll rant on him again; the battle's earlier experience has left him a little shaky still, to say the least.

"No, Rei, he is unhurt," Ritsuko says as well, with an intonation in her voice Shinji doesn't think is entirely polite, and it ain't directed at Rei. The latter responds by simply nodding the giant cyclops of a robot head and stomps off in the direction of the launch/recovery shaft.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

Yui paces the length of the room one more time, trying to breathe slowly; her heart is still beating as if someone was performing a drum solo in there somewhere, hands far into her labcoat's pockets. Gendo can see her hands shifting within, desperately searching for something to fiddle with.

"He's a gentle boy," Gendo starts, "I've never seen him suddenly become panicked like that, over seemingly nothing."

"You know that?!" Yui snaps at him, spinning on her heel but her hands remain within her pockets, straining the fabric, "You've never had the chance to see how he reacts under pressure!"

Gendo adjusts his glasses before continuing, as a way of buying time to take a deep breath, to steady himself before going on, cooly, "It may have been nothing special, just as he said; just the chaos of the fight messing with his head. I don't think there's a good reason for you to be digging grooves in my floor over it."

Yuui stares Gendo down for a moment; he's sitting by the desk in his office near the top of the NERV pyramid, Yui pacing just within comfortable conversational distance of it. The way he's sitting half-slumped to his left, one arm resting upon the desk or what he's saying doesn't fool Yui, the severity of his tone and expression, a face set in stone and eyes looking up at her from over those ember glasses tells her he's taking this as seriously as he can. She counts to five and bounces that knowledge around her head a little for comfort, chewing on her lower lip.

"All that besides, what could possibly have scared Shinji that did not terrify him the moment he engaged the Angel in the first place?" Gendo goes on once Yui does not immediately respond. "And I'm sure Misato is being _very_ gentle to him."

At this, Yui's face pales somewhat, and she paces the room once again. "O-of course she is within her jurisdiction, as long as she doesn't flog him," she mumbles, stiffly.

"Now, now, we knew this would happen eventually," Gendo says, trying to sound soothing, "I thought we were both mentally prepared for this."

"And what about him?!" Yui snaps again, sounding a tad less angry but irritated still. "We could have called him in sooner! Schooled him a little bit more, we-"

Gendo rises at this, not suddenly but it's still enough of a reaction to Yui's ranting that she falls silent again, though still regarding the bespectacled man with a mix of contempt and general irritation. "And what if the Angels had begun coming a week sooner, hm?" Gendo asks in perfect calm, but with a sharp intonation at the end, "We decide he's to come sooner, but the Angels decides to start showing up a week before that?"

"What are you getting at?" Yui almost hisses at Gendo.

He clasps his hands behind his back, "Point: we have been lucky with what we got. We knew only the very rough time the Angels would show up and decided to not bring Shinji in before Unit-01 was ready, and the Fourth Angel just happened to show up the same day. It's useless arguing over how we could have done things better; we have been rather lucky considering." He's within arm's reach of Yui now, staring down at her stoically.

She looks back up at him, and lets out a long, drawn-out sigh which seem to drain her of her anger. She brushes a stray hair over her left ear and nods, slowly turning back to her dignified, warm self, "I suppose you're right. Let's just hope it doesn't happen again, hm?"

"Indeed," Gendo replies, simply.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

"What the hell was the matter with you back there, Shinji?" Misato asks; he can hear how she struggles not to sound _too_ angry.

He himself is sitting on a bench in the lockers room; he thought he'd be safe from Misato there, but nooooo. "I… I don't know. I can't explain what came over me."

Misato's arms are crossed, legs set apart; she makes a figure imposing beyond her years. "That's hardly an excuse. You'll either tell us exactly what made you allow the Angel to raise its AT field just as the missile was approaching, forcing Rei to make a dangerous and chancy move that she barely managed, in order to let the missile through the Fifth Angel's AT field, ensuring its death before Rei collapsed and the Angel with the use of its AT field crashed right into Tokyo-3, taking the city and the two of you with it down into the GeoFront."

Shinji gets out nothing coherent, stopping at "I-…"

"Your own life was in direct danger, just as well as the life of Rei and everyone else. Did you not realize that?"

This accusation penetrates the caked layers of guilt, shock and self-pity that's settled over Shinji and he snaps back at Misato, "I get what is at stake! How can you think I don't?"

"Now you listen, kiddo!" Misato snaps back, "I'm going to play the duty card here whether you like it or not; you along with Rei form our only solid line of defence. Rei cannot fight the Angels on her own, and Unit-01 is a superior evangelion to Unit-00 anyway. If you can't give a better reason for disobeying orders and jeopardizing the mission than a minor case of shellshock then I'm not going to cut you any slack!"

"Fine!" shouts Shinji, slamming his palm into the bench he sits on. Misato doesn't twitch a muscle at the outburst, arms crossed still, looking down at Shinji down the bridge of her nose. Shinji's hands slowly ball into fists but the fight seems to go out of him again as quickly as it came, and he mumbles, "I'm sorry… I screwed up…"

"You're damned right."

"Can I go now?"

"…Yes."

Shinji slowly rises, scratching his head and putting on and buttoning his white shirt. "I guess Rei's waiting outside for her turn to chew me out?" He sounds a tad more venomous than actually intended, and Misato mumbles just as venomously back as he walks out, "With that tone she will, I can promise you that."

Luckily for Shinji Rei isn't waiting for him outside, not that he really believed she would be in the first place; slinging his backpack onto is back he trots off down the corridor.'

–

–

 _Breathe in, count to four, breathe out…_

Misato repeats the process once just to be sure she's breathing normally again; she's no stranger to arguing and shouting at people, but she wish she didn't have to shout at kids. She never had a younger sibling to learn how to do it with. Well, she _does_ have a sibling, technically, but she's older than Misato.

" _He is busy!"_

" _He doesn't care!"_

Misato remains standing for a moment, glancing towards the floor where Shinji had dragged his feet out of the locker room. The thought of said sibling instantly brings up one particular memory.

" _That's selfish! Dad has important work to do!"_

" _Your father is using my mother! Do you have any idea how happy she was when they married?!"_

She raises a hand to her right cheek, the memories welling up brings along them the phantom of a burning sensation where she's put her hand, and a queer mix of sadness and anger takes hold of her for just a moment.

" _Maybe your mom should focus more on her work too!"_

 _SLAP_

Misato shakes her head, forcefully dismissing the memory. _He brought these problems upon himself. Mine were dumped at my feet._ She runs a hand through her thick purple hair, glancing up into the ceiling. An active camera. Of course. It'll be a neat little circle; Misato chews out Shinji, Yui chews out Misato for chewing out Shinji, and maybe Yui gets a disapproving look from the Commander for it. Misato can understand if Yui would sympathise with Shinji, indeed she expects her to, but that doesn't mean Misato will cede her point easily. Yui is technically Misato's superior officer along with Gendo, but Misato can't ever remember Yui issuing orders to anyone for anything, she doesn't seem comfortable doing it. _Easiest way to do this is probably to play the military stoicism card and hope for the best._

Misato got to her office and just managed to sit down behind her desk before someone nocked on the door. It was Yui, of course. "Don't you think that was a _bit_ cruel, colonel?" she says, almost tentatively, as she enters the office, closing the door behind her. Misato looks into her eyes; Yui seems cloven herself, arms crossed loosely below her bosom, fidgeting with the material of her labcoat.

"Honestly, I don't think so," Misato replies, plainly. She clasps her hands before her on the desk, looking up at Yui with a mix of curiosity and concern over what she'll say next. The older woman paces the room for a moment before saying anything, "Misato, he's just a teenager."

"He's also all we've got exempt for Rei." Misato is glad she got some time to cool herself off earlier, she manages to sound diplomatic. "I don't think we can't afford to be gentle with him."

"I think you're overstating matters," Yui retorts, arms crossed. "There's a difference between not fighting well enough and being frightened from some unexpected-"

"Yui, please." Misato rises from her chair, not exactly snapping at the older woman but making sure she is forceful enough to interrupt her. She then continues, in much gentler tones, "What did you come here for? I'll spare you an accusation and just ask."

–

Yui have to admit she was taken aback somewhat by Misato's sudden familiarity, which hits home the purple-head's point all the more. Yui realized well in advance that she'd come in to this argument sounding like the parent of a kid who want to complain at the school for giving said kid detention, self-righteous and privileged. The fact that Misato had had the same idea didn't surprise her; the fact that Misato is offering Yui a chance to defend herself this plainly does surprise her. Misato isn't known for being diplomatic if she can possibly avoid it, and just acting the military stoic would have been a very easy option for her right now.

Yui takes a moment to collect her thoughts. "I suppose I'm acting in a rather predictable fashion, and believe what you will but I really do think we need to cut him some slack. He hasn't trained for this the majority of his teenage life, unlike Mari and Ryan and Asuka."

"Are you proposing we switch Unit-00 and Unit-01's roles around, let Rei sortie first during an Angel attack?" There's no mockery or even incredulity in Misato's tone, although the question alone is a jab, and most certainly intentional; Yui knows better than anyone, even Ritsuko, that doing such a thing is not a good idea.

Yui doesn't immediately respond, and Misato rises from her desk, thin-lipped for a moment; her hands are still clasped, hanging loosely at waist height, "Because if we don't, we _need_ Shinji to function as a soldier."

Yui's cheeks heat up, "And what? We scare him into working properly? Don't you think the Angels scare him enough? Don't you think he realizes what is at stake?"

Frowning, Misato lets her arms fall to her sides, hands balled into fists, "Then he needs to start acting like it! I can't force him to not be afraid of the Angels, but if that gets in the way of his fighting them it becomes a problem."

"And what if he doesn't?" Yui almost hisses at Misato.

Misato glares at Yui in return, "Then I'll continue shouting at him until he does."

Yui hangs her own arms at her sides, hands also balled into fists, "You can't! I've never known you to be _inhuman_!"

–

 _That's going to fuckin' far, Yui._

Misato angrily walks up to the older woman, almost screaming "DO YOU THINK I WANT THIS?!" She has to practice some self-restraint not to get physical with Yui; judging by how Yui's own face contorts for just a moment with barely-restrained rage she has to do the same. Misato has never personally seen Yui so angry before, which is enough to make her take a small step back, more out of surprise than anything else.

Upon Yui not instantly saying anything, Misato continues, "I just do whatever the hell it's going to take to stop the Angels," in significantly milder but still sharp tones, "If you have a problem with that, I am open to alternatives: The way I see it however, he is simply going to have to deal with it. If you want to be angry, be angry at the Angels, or Unit-01 for that matter."

Yui glares for a few seconds, staring Misato right in the eye. Then she slowly breathes out, and the anger seems to go out with it. Her shoulders slump and she tilts her head down, massaging the back of her nose contemplatively for a few moments. "I suppose you're right…" she finally mumbles.

Misato breathes out as well. Now that she seems to have won the argument she can let some sympathy out, and she puts a hand lightly on Yui's cheek, raising her head so that the two women can look each other in the eye, "Yui, please… You knew we all would have to make sacrifices somewhere down the road, every single human being."

Misato lowers her hand again as Yui nods, sombrely, "Yes, yes, I know. Difference between us is, I can't simply make black or white out of the world."

It stings Misato a little to have what she considers a sense of duty reduced to _"putting the world in black or white"_ , but decides to not mention it. Instead she says, "Just hang in there. We all have trying times ahead of us. We need to be focused. And like I think I heard Ryan say once; _If the greater good rides, unfairness will hold the reins_ ," and smiles, trying to look encouraging. "It's not fair on Shinji, but there is no alternative."

"Misato, you are wise beyond your years." Yui smiles back. She knows of course that Misato is right; Second Impact was no different. "Sorry for accusing you in this way."

"Oh, you have nothing to apologize for. I'd have been almost worried had you _not_ come, to be honest," Misato says, "Let's just hope it doesn't have to come to this again."

At that Yui nods, and then takes farewell, leaving Misato alone next to her desk. She lets out a long, drawn-out sigh, and sinks down into the chair. _Breathe in, count to four, exhale._ _Crisis averted._ Shouting at Yui is also hard. Misato would much have preferred it if it had been Ritsuko who came and was angry at her for being insensitive. Shouting at Ritsuko is almost cathartic. But the chances of that ever happening are dishearteningly small.

 _Let's just hope…_ Misato thinks as she reaches for the first paper on a small stack at one end of her desk, _that Shinji sticks around for the next fight._

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

Unit-0X mounted a valiant defence, but in the end it was all for naught. The Replica Lance did not work, and the Third Angel cut it to pieces. He could only watch as the thing sliced legs and arms and pieces of armour like a butcher, gripped the EVA by its head and dragged it through the base tunnels, breaking into the command centre and tossing Unit-0X before them like a slaughtered animal.

 _This was not how it was supposed to happen._

He had the sense to make good his escape at that point however, surviving the total annihilation of the command centre; he wisely avoided the elevators and ran down the stairs to the hangars, falling at one point when the entire base shook and breaking his nose.

The pilot was waiting for him by the VTOL as he got there, faithful ol' Tom. As they got in, his phone rang. _What the hell?_ He picked up the phone and the voice on the other end chilled him to the bone; the voice of a young girl, pale as snow and with blood red eyes, brown-red hair and a pleasant smile. "A-are you clear..?" the voice mumbles, and coughs; the whimpering sound that follows twists his stomach. "I'm takin' the Angel with me… Taking it down with me… Are you clear?"

His lips trembled, "Not quite." He gestures to the pilot who's already taken off the aircraft, and fires one of its ASM's towards the far hangar bay door, blowing it out. The aircraft then speeds out of the hangar out into the rainy evening sky, not even giving the fireball time to settle.

"Did I… Do good, Kaji?"

He takes a deep breath, staring wide-eyed out through the VTOL's cockpit in an effort to maintain calm, "Yes, you did good. We're clear."

Something catches his eye as the VTOL makes a pass over the top of the base, its cylindrical shape protruding out from the water; just as he turns to look down a circle of light begins shining through the 'roof' of the base, cutting out the section of the roof it encompasses. It's then tossed aside and the Angel rises up from the hole, halo above its head. Its bulbous, torso-shaped body and skull-faced mask is splattered with the blood of Unit-0X, halo lighting up the night sky.

"Look there, sir!" Tom cries and points, and Kaji had just spotted it himself; hanging onto the Angel by a bare skeleton arm it must've regenerated just before-hand, Unit-0X clings onto the Angel's left bony shoulder, dripping blood in copious amounts from its severed limbs and savaged torso. The Angel's eyes light up, but before it can deal the finishing blow the black-and-gold Evangelion lights up white, and explodes with such force that it turns the roof of Benthany base to scrap and blinds him with the flash; Tom manages to keep the VTOL from crashing even as it's buffeted by the shockwave.

When the fireball settles and the gloomy night rain continues unconcerned, two brilliantly shining pillars of light are rising into the sky beyond the cloud layers. He shivers, and limply falls back into his seat.

"The Angel's been destroyer, thank God," Tom says, relieved; he turns to Kaji and continues, "The plan did not account for this; wondrously fortunate you got out in time, sir."

"I-… Yes, yes, rather fortunate," he mumbles, and closes his eyes, taking a deep, long breath.

"You've all the time in the world to calm down now, sir," Tom goes on in his normal, cheerful and oblivious tone, "You're quite out of harm's way now and the mission was a success, despite the setbacks. It must be taxing to have such an important mission riding on your shoulders."

"…It is indeed." He adjusts his shirt and sets his face, exhaling sharply. _There. Set it aside, time for it later._ He reaches down to a metallic briefcase sitting at his feet, bringing it up into his lap. _All for this. The sooner SEELE's plans are realized, the better. But this will undoubtedly not be the last time. Sacrifices have to be made._

His eyes then again wander to the side, out through the speeding VTOL's cockpit window. The rain pours and without his flight gear it's very cold indeed, a morose scene that seems rather fitting.

 _This was not how it was supposed to happen, Keel._

 **End of chapter 6.**


	7. Rainbow rising (chapter 7)

**Chapter 7: Rainbow rising.**

"This is F-32 VTOL jet callsign Nebuchadnezzar to aircraft carrier Over the Rainbow, request permission to land. Carrying important cargo, over."

"This is Over the Rainbow flight control to Nebuchadnezzar, we read you. Please describe nature of cargo, over."

"Nebuchadnezzar to Over the Rainbow, carrying civilian VIP on journey to Japan, over."

"Over the Rainbow flight control to Nebuchadnezzar, please verify identity with authentication code for landing clearance, over."

"Golf Echo Hotel India Romeo November, over."

"Over the Rainbow flight control to Nebuchadnezzar, confirmed. Welcome aboard, Nebuchadnezzar."

–

–

The USN aircraft carrier Over the Rainbow that slowly grows beneath the VTOL must be the largest ship he's ever seen, much less stepped on. She weighs just above 92,000 tonnes, is over one thousand feet (about 350m) long, its vaguely rhombus-shaped flight deck close to 260 feet (80m) wide. Carrying eight nuclear reactors powering four geared steam turbines, she makes a healthy 33 knots through the Pacific Ocean, her escorting ships forming several protective layers around her. All in all the fleet is composed of more than thirty larger ships from different navies, screened by almost as many destroyers and smaller vessels, but the OVer the Rainbow is the only carrier.

The VTOL lurches softly as it lands, and the pad it's landed on lowers down to the hangars below the flight deck. It's a hap-hazard arrangement both above and below; the carrier doesn't have a full complement of aircraft, and what craft it does have are a mixed bag of European, United States and even some Asian aircraft.

Their VTOL parks next to a JAS-45, and a group of marines arrive to show Kaji and Tom to their quarters on the carrier. Nothing luxurious exactly, but it is a military vessel after all. The better suites are reserved for military VIP's, and Kaji didn't want to make a fuzz aboard by getting the correct papers signed by NERV.

He locks the armoured briefcase he brought with him in the special 'locker' his quarters is equipped with, sealing it behind three code locks within a safe that is completely impervious to water, fire, chemicals, radiation, powerful explosives, directed energy beams and almost any other form of physical violence. After that, he finally dares breathe again. _The mission is now progressing as planned again, thank God for that._

He helps himself to a simple meal that was waiting for him in the room, and then leaves his quarters after locking the door tightly behind him, and with the quiet escort of a marine takes a stroll through those parts of the carrier that aren't barred for him. Which means, he pretty much only has access to the corridors in between sections, and the outside of the ship. So finally he finds himself opening an armoured door, if it can be called that and not a 'rounded shape of a door cut out of the hull itself', that deposits him on a sort of balcony at the rear of the ship, halfway between the flight deck and the carrier's water line.

Stepping out into the cold afternoon air, Kaji is immediately greeted by a spray of ice-cold, sharply salt water; the Over the Rainbow heaves up very slightly as it crests a wave, spraying the ship's sides as the carrier's prow cleaves the wave without problem. Kaji grimaces, shivering in his buttoned shirt and pants, but decides to remain for a moment. During the flight he had tried to sleep, to not think about Bethany base, but met with little succes. Now he didn't feel tired, just lethargic, dragged down by a wretched guilt his reasoning that it's all for the greater good is having trouble wrestling down.

It starts raining as he stands there, gazing out across the water, but not really seeing; a destroyer is sailing along half a kilometre out, and all he sees is that red-haired girl with pale skin and blood red eyes standing by its railing, her calling out to him across the waters reaching him only as the keening, whale-like roar of the Third Angel as it knocks the main viewscreen of Bethany base central down and tosses the maimed and red piece of meat that once was Unit-0X before them, its silvery metal-like arms splattered red with blood.

The worst of it is, he doesn't know whom to blame; himself for engineering this disaster, or SEELE, who planned the mission and sent him on it. It wasn't supposed to be this disastrous. The fact that his own life may be forfeit now thanks to this catastrophe isn't nearly as great a concern to him, even though he doesn't greatly fancy dying; he knows that people have to die for the fulfilment of SEELE's plans. He just wished he knew how _many_ have to die for them.

After a few minutes the wind shifts, and the rain starts falling in on the 'balcony' Kaji is standing on. Deciding that he feels adequately reinvigorated by the cold outside he heads back inside before getting too wet, and then a thought strikes him; maybe it's a good idea to call Tokyo, let them know he's alright and en transit home.

 _Who do we call to give the good news?_ Kaji ponders to himself as he strolls down a corridor, going back to his quarter; an amused smirk slowly grows on him as he finds the perfect answer. So he pulls out his smartphone and dials up a number.

–

–

Yet another quiet day, with no cosmic monstrosity breathing down their necks, and Misato has to tackle a monster of a whole different kind; paperwork. Whole piles of it. With the amount of wood that must've gone into making all these papers she could've made herself a brand new desk!

Her phone rings. A distraction! She practically throws herself over the phone on the table, not bothering to check the number, and in her sweetest and most pleasant and warm tone answers "Hello, this is Misato Katsuragi."

The voice on the other end sounds nothing if not amused, he even chuckles lightly and Misato's heart skips a beat as she recognizes the voice on the other end; she can practically see the grin on his face, "That was a lot more friendly a greeting than I was expecting."

"Oh, it's _you..._ " Misato groans, grasping in vain for the exalted joy she felt upon receiving the call as it slithers away to hide beneath the stack of papers on her desk.

"Indeed it is; and I'm coming to Tokyo." Kaji sounds a little less jeering and smug now, using that friendly 'bro' tone she so rarely gets to hear. Most of the time Kaji spends talking to Misato it's to either talk business, where he becomes distant and, unsurprisingly, businesslike; or it is to tease her, or to be seducing. "Thought I'd let you know I've arrived at the UN Pacific fleet."

"How very thoughtful of you," Misato replies sarcastically, leaning back lazily in her office chair. "You're quartered on the Over the Rainbow I guess?"

"Yup. You should see these draperies; the westerners really knows how to lively up a ship." There's a sort of grim undertone to Kaji's voice that, in combination with Misato knowing how unhappy Kaji usually becomes when he has to live somewhere colourless and boring plunges her into laughter, despite her every effort to not give him the satisfaction. _Ah well._

"Well," Misato says once she's regained her composure, "At least you have the ocean to look at. I actually envy you, you know, getting to be out on open sea for a change."

"Yeah, the sea's great, truly," Kaji replies, just as sarcastically as Misato had spoken earlier.

Misato snickers to herself, swivelling her chair around and crossing her legs, "Soo... Gotten time to check out Unit-02 yet?"

"Ah, no. Not yet, I just arrived. I haven't got a clue where they keep it, actually..."

"Well it can't be that hard to find, can it?" Misato idly plays with a lock of her deep purple hair.

"You'd be surprised how good the military is at hiding something in plain sight. I'll just ask the pilots, I should probably check in with them first anyway."

"Sounds like a plan. Say hi to them for me, will you?"

"I will."

Misato frowns, and straightens her back in the chair a little, "Are you alright, Kaji?" _You sound too subdued and friendly to be alright._

"Yeah, yeah," he replies, at once cheerful again, "SEELE's plans test us all, I'll deal with it."

"Good to hear. I don't suppose you want me to tell the old man that you're coming home as well, by the way?" It would be a little out of character for Kaji to come to her first.

"Oh no, that's already been taken care of, don't you worry your little head about it," Kaji says, sugar-sweetly. "I better go now. I imagine you have a lot of work to do anyway."

She can almost see him smirking on the other end of the line, and is promptly reminded of that she's supposed to hate the man. "Yeah, work's great here, truly," she says, mimicking his earlier gloomy description of the weather. "I'll go tell Ritsuko you're coming right away; that's sure to cheer her up."

"Come now Misato, play nice," he says, as if talking to a petulant child. "Tsk," is the only comment on the matter he gets from her. "I'll talk to you later."

"If you say so, Misato," Kaji says, faking surprise and delight at the prospect of _her_ calling _him_ up again later; now he's just teasing her. She lets out a low hiss and ends the call, but still can't hold back a smirk after she puts down the phone.

– –

–

–

–

– –

 _You know the weather is bad when_ she _is angry at it. Even after Earth's seasons bit the dust after Second Impact, England still has rain. Only now, it rains the entire year 'round. You'd think she's seen it all._

She rants on behind him. "Several months' worth of sailing from the US to Japan, and not even fuckin' _here_ can we escape the bloody rain! Join NERV they said, see the world they said; but do we Brits get weather insurance? Nooooooooo."

 _Yup. Not even posh tea and biscuits can calm her down now._ He turns his head away from the viewport in the wall of his cabin that's supposed to pass for a window, spattered with water from rain and the spray being thrown up as the aircraft carrier crests a wave. Behind him stands Mari, a seventeen-year-old bespectacled brunette with lightly tanned skin, deep blue eyes and an athletic build with legs long enough that you could dress her up in black and call her Bayonetta, and as a result half a head taller than him; she is definitely not lacking in beauty anywhere. She's dressed in a dark green cardigan over a beige shirt, white jeans, and a blue hair band.

She turns to him as if sensing his eyes in her neck, frowning with discontent. He speaks up, "What happened to 'Time to face the day, time to make it snappy', hm?"

"Oh, very funny," she retorts, arms falling to her sides from previously having been crossed over her chest, "That was when I was rolling around in Nevada with the sun in my eyes and the wind in Unit-02's face. I pray to God Japan has better weather than this, or I'm out."

"From what I've been told it's... Well, better than in Torquay at least." He smirks, and pushes off the wall.

–

–

 _That's not saying much_. She smirks back, crossing her arms again, "Better be. The food, though, I am looking forward to."

Ryan wrinkles his nose at this, shaking his head; he is shorter than her, a tad pale, his hair a light brown and short-cut, although by no means shaved. His physique is comparable to Mari, although without the long legs, but his eyes are just as blue as hers. He sports the early makings of a moustache and goatee, something that appeared only recently and is annoying Mari to no end; that subtle little difference that can't be unseen.

Ryan scratches his forehead with a grimace, "Not a big fan of Asian food myself, but I guess I'll have to live with it."

Mari nods, but then the expression of suddenly remembering something comes over her, unsurprisingly confusing Ryan; before Mari can say whatever she remembered he picks up, "Was there something else, rather than just whipping up a larger storm than the actual rain outside about the weather, Mari?"

"Yes!" she proclaims, and reaches deep into one of her cardigan's pockets, fishing up a pair of folded-up papers. She holds them up for Ryan to see. "I finally got something on the other two pilots!" She grins widely, back to her usual hyper self.

"Ooooooooh, impressive." He takes one paper, both of them print-outs containing a picture and some basic information. Ryan scans the paper for a moment, an expression halfway in between amusement and bemusement growing on him. "Well, they did say one of them is a tad… Peculiar."

Mari puts down her own paper, showing a picture of the Third child; not particularly interesting. Ryan shuffles over to her and shows the picture. It looks like someone's taken a picture of a ghost, it somehow feels as if the girl in the picture is avoiding Mari's eyes even though the picture obviously can't move. "Weeeird," is all Mari gets out, wise as ever.

"That's taking albinism to a whole new level," Ryan mumbles.

Mari nods, "Mhm. She's cute though."

Ryan opens his mouth to say something, but a strange noise coming from outside the ship silences him. They both frown, and then they can hear it again; a whale-like, eerily echoing cry, rising in pitch until it becomes almost painful. It then abruptly stops, and is replaced by the sharp screeching of alarm sirens; the speaker in their cabin comes to life, "All hands to battle stations, repeat; all hands to battle stations! This is not a drill!"

They both look at each other in confusion, neither of them sure what to do; but then a realization hits Mari. _That cry…_ She grabs Ryan by the arm and drags him out of the cabin, posters of the other pilots completely forgotten on the floor. She gives him time to lock the door before she hurries off down the corridor with Ryan in tow, who knows better than to resist. "Where are you going?" he shouts after her, over the angry screeching of the sirens.

"To the bridge," she answers.

They have special papers issued by NERV that allows them free reign on any of the fleet's vessels in situations like these, and after flashing them to the guards they are reluctantly let onto the Over the Rainbow bridge, where the captain is staring grimly out through the front windows, ignoring the confused buzz behind him. He's a tall, if aged and slightly rounded man, with greying brown hair beneath the admiral's hat.

The storm has intensified outside; the cloud layer a solid dark grey, rain rattles against the windows and blurs the view outside. But what the captain is staring out at it quite clear for all to see. Several kilometres out a pillar of solid pinkish light rises up beyond the thick grey clouds, almost as thick as the Over the Rainbow is wide. It wails again, shaking the glass separating the bridge personnel from the rain outside.

"Angel… It's a fuckin' Angel," Mari mumbles, hand halfway up to cover her mouth; this is not how they expected their first encounter with one to be, much less in this form. She can't even see the core, attacking it with an Evangelion doesn't seem feasible.

"Ah yes, the prodigious children," the captain says at length in his creaky old voice, without turning to them. "I don't suppose you can be of some use at last?"

Before either of them can answer someone shouts out from one of the bridge stations, "The fleet's at full alert, awaiting command, sir!"

"Very good!" the captain says, for the moment forgetting Ryan and Mari, "All ships, open fire, artillery only."

Mari glances to Ryan, "That's not going to do anything." He nods. Then you can hear the rolling fire of guns, the rainy evening gloom lit up by flashes of flame and smoke. The pillar of light is suddenly bombarded with explosions ripping across its 'surface', but to no discernible effect. The thing wails again, and then starts moving; a missile cruiser at the front just in the process of turning away from colliding with the Angel is caught in its path and followed by a high-pitched and oddly feminine scream it simply disappears, as if beamed up into the energy stream of the Angel's body.

* * *

 _These pests are of no consequence. This one will ignore these many._

* * *

"Captain, you have to get us to the Ark! We won't be of any use offering advice here, your guns won't be of any use, but Unit-02 might be able to fight this thing." Mari walks up to the captain, who actually turns around at this, regarding her with those sunk-in, brown eyes. "…Very well. Commander Electra!"

A blonde Frenchwoman with what Mari would guess is the maximum allowed makeup for a serving officer steps up to the captain, "Yes, admiral?"

"See these two youngsters to the Ark immediately, commander, and oversee their combat operations from there." He gestures to Mari and Ryan.

"Yes, admiral." She turns and gestures towards the exit at the opposite side of the bridge, "If you'll come with me, please."

They hurry off the bridge and into the bowels of the carrier once again; at one point both Mari and Ryan are almost thrown off their feet as the 92,000 tonnes of carrier seems to pull a hard turn, Electra remaining completely unfazed. They then come out onto a long corridor with a row of large windows running down to the left, and beyond the windows Mari can see the Over the Rainbow's wet flight deck. Several dozen pilots are assembled in groups along the length of the corridor, all whom rise with stiff backs and salute as the three arrive, all attention towards the commander. She barks out "At ease!" and approaches one isolated pair, a man and a woman that look as identical as to one another as two people of different gender can. Electra addresses these two, "Jean, Nadia; we require transport to the Ark transport vessel directly off this ship's starboard. Think you're up to the task?"

The woman Nadia smirks, and they both salute with a crisp "Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

And so the four of them rush out onto the wet flight deck, the rain still pouring down. In the distance the Angel wails again, followed by the muffled echoes of explosions; Mari can see a destroyer in the distance fervently blazing away with its fore-mounted pop gun, following the Over the Rainbow in the final stages of the earlier notices hard turn to starboard. They run up to a helicopter a dozen metres or so away, hurrying to get inside; Ryan, Mari and Electra are given flight helmets, and they're off.

Thankfully the wind itself isn't too bad, the Angel didn't bother them, and the pilots were quite skilled, which gets them to the Ark without trouble. It's essentially a converted oil tanker, one of the last ones still in service. They were expected, because as soon as Mari, Ryan and Electra disembarked the helicopter several men and women wearing rain gear and carrying more, all with the NERV logo, came to greet them. After sweeping themselves in the rain coats Electra was shown to the ship's bridge on the other end of the ship while Ryan and Mari were hurried down below, to where Unit-02 was held.

Ryan goes straight down to don his plugsuit. Mari, being Unit-02's primary pilot doesn't bother with it, there is no time. She rushes straight up to the plug and hops in, the plug closing around her and sinking into place inside of Unit-02's neck.

Once enclosed by the dark metallic nothingness she sits back, relaxing. Breathing slowly and deeply, she waits until the first few systems start up; first communication, but for now she mostly hears the chatter in the background. Anthony reading off systems checks, Nathalie discussing the EVA's operational specifics with Electra, Matt on the phone with someone. Then Nathalie's voice comes through more clearly, as if closer to the mike, "Pilot, please specify linguistic norm for cognitive functions."

Mari ponders for a moment, about to say 'English', but then gets a different idea, and answers with, "Well, since I'm going to Japan anyway I might as well get used to doing it in Japanese."

"Roger," comes the response. An alarm beeps five times, there's a loud clanking noise, and then the plug comes to life around Mari; bits of code is read off, the same segments can be seen in each of the hexagonal grids that makes up the display screens inside the entry plug. The pieces of code then fades, are replaced by a momentary burst of blue and red, and then Mari sees out through Unit-02's eyes.

"Alright, hun, let's go. Production Model Evangelion-02, launch!"

A low rumble rolls up from the depth of the plug, and the Evangelion slowly starts responding to her commands; she draws the knife stored in her left pylon and cuts open the canvas covering the Evangelion from external view; it rises unsteadily from the shallow pool of LCL the Evangelion has been partially submerged in for the trip. The boat rocks and tilts uncertainly beneath Unit-02's weight, but she keeps afloat. Unit-02 is a red Evangelion, compared to Unit-00's orange and Unit-01's purple; its armour is slightly bulkier, the pylons a bit larger, and the helmet has is more triangular, wedge-like shape than the other EVAs, with not only Unit-01's pointy chin but with a protruding, sharp forehead as well, and two pairs of camera-like eyes.

Mari very gingerly turns and gives a thumbs up to the bridge on the back of the ship. She then bends down and picks up a long spear that lay beside Unit-02 inside the tanker, sheathes her knife, and turns towards the Angel in the distance. It's still calmly advancing right through the middle of the confused and scattered fleet, currently in the process of being broadsided by one of the fleet's old Iowa-class battleships. The 16'' armour-piercing shells fired at almost point blank range just bounce off the Angel's AT field, now physically visible as it has to repel such brute force; the Iowa's 6'' high-explosive is not having any more luck. Even its AA is opening up on the Angel, but to no use. When Mari grips the spear in both hands and powers up her AT field, however, it stops quite abruptly.

And then is starts ploughing its way directly towards the Ark.

"Pilot." The voice of Commander Electra breaks into the entry plug. "Can you fight the enemy, over?" There's that crisp military tone about her that demands a straight, factual no-bullshit answer.

Unfortunately she can't quite deliver. "Unsure, ma'am. Probably. I will most certainly try, ma'am, over." She holds the spear out before her, ready to stab at the Angel as it comes to range. _It's made out of pure energy, how am I supposed to harm it… I can't even see the Core, it's probably contained above the cloud layer._

The Angel slowly comes up to the Ark, and Mari thrusts; her spear meets the Angel's AT field, and the entire boat trembles as Mari's own field starts pressing against the Angel's. The octagonal, gently pulsing golden field flickers in the dark, rainy evening, whipping up water around the Ark; Mari glances towards the gauges to her right, grins, and with a roar rears back momentarily before slamming the spear back against the Angel. Its field breaks in two, the separate halves sliding apart and her spear digs into the pulsing pinkish light; the point of entry sparks and flashes white, and red lines almost like blood vessels flicker across the surface of the energy stream. Blood squirts out of the wound, and Mari pulls out the spear almost singularly out of surprise on actually, in the literal sense drawing blood out of what essentially looks like a sentient laser beam.

"Pilot, report, over!" Electra barks into the intercom. The Angel seems just as surprised as Mari at being hurt in this manner, which gives Mari a few valuable seconds to report back, "I cannot locate the Core, ma'am. It's a crystalline sphere that needs to be destroyed in order for an Angel to die completely, and I would guess it's hidden above the clouds. I can't reach it, and your aircraft can't hurt it, ma'am. I suggest we withdraw, over."

"I second the pilot's advice, commander," Nathalie says. There's a moment's silence, but before anything else is said an alarm goes off to Mari's left, and she returns her focus to the Angel just in time to see it charge the Ark again, if slowly barreling through the water at the ship can be called a charge; Mari raises her own AT field to try to stop the Angel, and it works. The prow of the Ark is singed off by the Angel, though, and Mari drops the spear to the 'floor' of the boat in her effort to hold the Angel back, needing both her hands.

–

–

"How is she holding the enemy back like that without the Ark being pushed back?" Electra asks, staring out through the rain-soaked window in unsuppressed wonder. Indeed the boat itself hasn't given an inch to the Angel, and Ryan turns his head up to the gold-haired Frenchwoman, "The AT fields are… How do I explain this… They aren't anchored on whatever the Evangelion stands on, they're anchored in space itself, once fully powered up. Immovable."

Elektra looks down at Ryan, frowning, "Nonsense. The Earth is spinning around the sun several thousand kilometres per hour, and the sun is spinning around the galactic core. If you anchored yourself in space itself you'd fall off the Earth in a heartbeat, or get crushed."

Ryan hesitates for a moment under Electra's stare, "W-well… I realize that, it's just… A little more complicated than... That."

She regards him for a moment, but then turns back outwards, clasping her hands behind her back. "Pilot, come in please, over."

"Uh, yeah, ma'am," Mari responds, her voice laboured from pressing back against the Angel.

"We noticed the Angel turned from its course very deliberately only once you," Electra hesitates for a moment, "...once you turned on your field. It seems logical to assume it tracks you that way; so your orders are to transfer from this ship to give us some clearance, and then deactivate your Evangelion. If we're right, the Angel will then loose interest and resume its original, nonhostile posture. Do you believe you can make it to the Over the Rainbow flight deck, over?"

"I, uh, I can probably make the leap yes, ma'am, over," Mari replies.

"Then do it, pilot. Out."

–  
–

Mari grits her teeth, and tenses up to jump. In one swift move she ceases the struggle and leaps, utilizing Unit-02's AT field to drive her further forward, and then to slow her descent as she comes down upon the Over the Rainbow; she lands in a crouch, using every knowledge of soft landings she possesses in order to cause minimal damage to the vessel. Despite weighing 92 000 tonnes and being over a thousand feet long she dips down and lists to port, and Unit-02's scramble to stabilize the ship sends more than a few of her aircraft down into the sea. Eventually Mari gets the situation under control, and gingerly kneels down on the flight deck in a textbook Evangelion field deactivation procedure; the Angel is coming at the carrier even now.

Mari quickly taps in the necessary commands, barking "Backdoor code: Serenity!" at the same time, and the EVA unceremoniously powers down around her. She keeps some basic computer systems online, stuff that has nothing to do with the EVA itself, and calls up the Ark. "Come in, Ark, this is Evangelion Unit-02. Did the plan work, over?"

"Confirmed, Unit-02," Nathalie's voice reponds, sounding relieved. Electra breaks in then, "Good work, pilot Makinami."

"Yes, ma'am!" Mari replies gleefully, not a little proud over being commended by such a high-ranking military officer. This is definitely not lost to Ryan's ears, who groans and comments that "Oh, she's going to be insufferable for weeks now."

– –

–

–

–

– –

Back on the Over the Rainbow bridge, Ryan is standing a little out of the way against the wall, with the captain and Electra arguing over what Unit-02 'has done to my flight deck!'. One of the doors open and Mari steps through, in the process of drying her hair with a small white towel. Attracting more than one annoyed glance from the bridge staff and guards, Mari blushes slightly and puts the towel around her neck like a scarf, and while trying to make herself as small as possible while still maintaining some manner of pride she walks up to stand next to Ryan, "So what's the plan from here?"

"Balls if I know," Ryan says with a shrug. After Unit-02 powered down, the Angel continued its original course, moving quickly enough that the fleet wouldn't be able to beat it to Japan; they can keep up with it at best, giving it a healthy berth; it doesn't seem interested in attacking the fleet, but the captain didn't want to take any chances. He continues, "After a glorious display of French military doctrine, I guess we send word to Japan and hope they can stop it?"

"Oh, we're not done with the Angel yet," Electra calls across the bridge at that, her tone almost amused, "We'll show that thing a proper display of 'French military doctrine'." Ryan blushes lightly, and Mari breaks down laughing; just then someone calls out that 'The USS Maine is in position'.

The debate between Electra and the captain is thus ended, and both turn to prepare for something; Ryan ponders for a second, and then remembers what the 'USS Maine' is. "They're gonna nuke it," he mumbles to Mari, with no little excitement.

–

–

Misato snickers contently as the glow of the nuclear blast in the distance fades, leaving behind the giant mushroom cloud that for the moment conceals the Angel completely. "Status of target?"

"Still active, but we're reading severe distortions in its AT field. From our readings it was a tad unstable to begin with; I think we may have bought some time like you hoped, colonel." That was Makato, reading off the graphs on his console.

"Grand," Misato says, grinning from ear to ear. She turns up to Commander Ikari up on high, "What now, sir?"

The amber-bespectacled man leans back in his chair, staring out through the viewscreen with a deep frown. He glances up at first Yui, then Fuyutsuki, and then leans back over his desk again, clasping his white-gloved hands before his face, "Now we devise a plan to destroy the Angel before it reaches Tokyo-3."

"Very well. Shall we include the Pacific fleet in the defence plan, sir?" Misato folds her arms across her chest.

"I'll leave that to your discretion, colonel," Gendo replies.

 **End of chapter 7.**


	8. Angel be cross, man (ch 8, part 1)

**Chapter 8: Angel be cross, man, part 1**

"Whadayamean, ya' can't kill it?"

"It means, Toji, that we cannot kill it."

"C'mon Rei, it can't be that bad."

"It might be, it might not. We're coming up with a plan to fight it without directly using the Evangelions at this time."

"Not going to tell any specifics?"

"Be quiet, Kensuke."

Shinji scratches his hair bottom idly as he listens to Kensuke, Toji and Rei talk about the Sixth Angel situation. He was a tad surprised that Rei would talk about it at all, but at least she turned down Kensuke just now, which at least brought him some satisfaction. _He is a dork, I won't admit to jealousy just yet._

To be fair, though, there wasn't really any grand plan at all right now, as far as Shinji was aware. Not that he was going to say that. Misato, his father and the others have been grinding away at coming up with one since late last night and Shinji has gotten little and no word from either.

"Right, so we're runnin' on your people's skill and a prayer, basically?" Toji exhales sharply through his nose, shaking his head. "Gotta say, since the previous Angel hit town that don't give me a very warm 'n fuzzy feeling at all."

"Toji, I am sorry about what happened to your sister," Rei says, with what Shinji believes might be a tinge of honest sympathy. A disdainful 'hmpf' is all that she gets for a response, which prompts Kensuke to inject, "Toji, don't be unreasonable. It wasn't her fault Sakura was hurt."

The tall, carbon-black haired boy glances down at Kensuke, arms still crossed, "The Angel hurt 'er, didn' it?" He looks up at and Rei, glaring daggers at her, " _They're_ supposed to be fightin' 'em, so why couldn' they protect my sister?"

Rei's face hardens, eyes narrowing. Even such a token display of anger from her puts Shinji right on edge, he's never seen her even that angry before. She replies to Toji with a calm yet venomous tone, "You're being obtuse, Toji. What happened to Sakura was an accident."

Toji's eyes fly wide open and he pushes off the wall, "You callin' me stupid? Tryin' to throw away blame?!" He steps right up to Rei, standing almost a head taller than her, fists clenched.

Shinji tenses up further and is just a fraction of a second away from springing to Rei's side, but then his reptile brain catches up to him and hisses at him jeeringly that he doesn't dare. Toji can be intimidating even when he's not angry because of his size and strength, and Rei is usually not even the least angry at all.

"I ain't afraid o' you, red-eyes," Toji growls. "Admit it was your fault."

"No," Rei states flatly, which earns her a swift right hook from Toji. The blow sends her staggering a few steps backwards with a yelp, her left hand shooting up to covering her cheekbone. For a moment she's partially facing Shinji, and he can see that the blow that should have given her a swelling at best has actually drawn blood, a red smear on Rei's palm.

Without hesitation, in one fluid motion she straightens up, spins on her heel and whips her right hand out at Toji, slapping him across the cheek. It's loud as a gunshot, and the surprised Toji cries out in pain, groaning as he shuffles away from Rei. She doesn't say anything, doesn't even move further. She just stands there, hand still raised, her breathing perfectly calm and collected, glaring at Toji.

Shinji, Kensuke and Hiari simply watch the drama play out in dumbstruck silence, none of them daring to interrupt, and sure of who to support either. After a moment's awkward, tense silence of Rei staring daggers at Toji and he himself slowly getting over his red cheek, Hiari snaps out of it and steps in between them, hissing, "Are you two quite finished?!"

Rei throws Hiari a look, back to her usual bland self, and lowers her hand. Hiari meets her eyes for a second, somehow displaying both sympathy and irritation at the same time, and then turns a glare towards Toji, hissing "Learn to behave" at him before turning back to Rei, "Let's get something for that scar, hm?"

Rei protests, but according to Hiari she has no choice and is led off into the school building, leaving a decidedly pale Shinji, a wide-eyed Kensuke and a red-cheeked Toji. The latter straightens his back and indignantly rolls his shoulders. Kensuke's wide-eyed stare slowly turns to a grin, "She's so hot!"

"Shut it," Toji mumbles and returns to his spot, leaning back against the wall.

 _Maybe I should go after them, see if Rei's alright_ , Shinji ponders in the meantime. _Showing I care might make her hate me a little less, if I'm lucky._ His reptile brain again pops up, reminding him that Rei alone scares him.

 _Sooner or later I'll have to make some sort of effort on her behalf,_ he reasons, pushing his reptile brain back into its proverbial bottle, and turns to walk after Rei and Hiari.

Before he gets very far however Toji calls out to him, "Hey, Ikari! What do you think?"

Shinji turns and meets Toji's gaze, a bitter one but without resentment, at least not towards him. He answers defensively, "I'm not going to pick sides, Toji," and then walks off in the direction Hiari and Rei left, knowing exactly how hollow his argument rang. He might not like Rei much, but in his opinion Toji has no right to be angry at her for what happened to Sakura.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

The calm and silence lying over the Pacific Ocean is suddenly broken. A pair of supersonic jet fighters labelled _Yellow 4_ & _13_ descend on the waters, breaking the sound barrier with the speed of their dives; the sonic boom bisects the cloud they emerge from, the aircraft trailing a skirt of condensed air as if they had torn off a piece of the cloud in their descent.

Closing on the surface the aircraft level out, Yellow 4 dropping so low that it kicks up a spray in its wake from a wave broken by the jet's engines. The pilot cries out with glee and her wingman in Yellow 13 cheers, having stabilized at a much safer altitude. The two jets skim the sea for maybe ten seconds, approaching the towering form of the Angel in the distance. Yellow 4 opens up a compartment below its right air intake and launches a long-range air-to-surface missile into the far distance. The two jets then pull a hard turn to either side, dispersing as a whip of pink energy with streaks of gold lash out at them from the Angel, seen only as a speck of light on the horizon. They rise above the cloud layers again, converting speed to altitude to escape. The whip swats the missile out of the sky, and then disintegrates. The Angel trundles on.

Next: Half a dozen kilometres away, a frigate has separated from the main Pacific Fleet and fires upon the Angel. Three shots fired, two of which hit. Nothing. The frigate crew breathe out and turn the vessel back to the fleet. Then the two fighters reappear in the skies. They repeat the manoeuvre from earlier, but this time they approach from the Angel's flank instead of directly in front of it. Yellow 13 fires an ASM that strikes the Angel without any apparent effect, and Yellow 4 even makes a fly-by within a kilometre's distance of the giant pillar of light. Still nothing. They retreat again.

Gendo stares at the screen for a few moments after the footage has stopped rolling, with an expression over his frowning brow and taught lips that gives him quite the gruff and gloomy expression. _Stick a Chicago pizza in his hand, sing "O death" and we have the complete package,_ Misato thinks with a smirk. She's standing before the Commander's desk in his office atop the NERV pyramid along with Makato, and Yui is sitting next to Gendo.

The Commander's expression softens and he leans back, taking a moment to clean his glasses. Yui clasps her hands on the desk, resting on her elbows, turning her attention up to Misato, "So as far as we can gather, it only retaliates if it's attacked frontally?"

Misato nods, "Yes, ma'am. It's shown an astounding level of situational awareness, going as far as to attack some targets before they have even completed a firing cycle; we lost a destroyer to the Angel earlier as they were to launch a tactical N2 missile at it. The Angel lashed out before the missile had even left the tube, whereas smaller weapons like 5 inch pop guns and fighter-launched ASM's take longer to provoke a response."

"So the Angel reacts quicker the greater the threat," Gendo says, being finished with his glasses. He continues, with a grim finality, "So our plan is rendered useless, then." He stares up at Misato as if silently pleading she can correct him, while Yui's head dips a little in disappointment.

This time, Misato can deliver.

"Thankfully not, sir. Despite its ability to react to the greater threats with an almost precognitive precision, it does not appear to be very good at target selection." Yui perks an eyebrow and Gendo straightens his back with sudden interest; Misato goes on. "An earlier test we run had a series of drones attack the target. One carried a tactical N2 missile, while the remaining ones were armed with conventional ASM's." Misato taps another button on the small remote she's holding, and the video switches to show said drones. Four of them in formation, with the larger one with the N2 missile at the back. The one with normal ASM's fire first, and then a moment later the N2 missile is fired as well. A tentacle-like whip of pinkish energy lash out at the drones, swatting them out of the sky one by one, the one at the back going down last and almost escaping. It also leaves the N2 missile 'till last, the explosion actually forcing it to raise its AT field to protect itself.

"It strikes the closest threat first regardless of threat level?" Gendo asks, incredulous. Misato throws her arms up, equally confounded, "So it would seem, sir. Don't ask me why."

"The Angels work in mysterious ways. They live by logic wholly separate from our own." Yui injects, with a small smile. She straightens out, "So, what do you plan to do, colonel?

Misato grins wide and taps the remote again, switching the image to a slideshow containing several papers; contracts, lists and the like. "I intend to call in a favour with the JSSDF, pull some strings, and requisition Operation: Yamashima. We will fill the valley between Tokyo-3 and the coast with enough guns and concrete to draw a defence line from Hamamatsu to Toyama, and use them along with the Pacific Fleet to distract the Angel until we are ready to fire."

As Misato explains Yui grows a grin to match the purple-head's; she nods approvingly, "No such thing as overkill for you, colonel? You've been in the U.S. for too long."

Misato turns expectantly to the Commander, who looks between the two women once, sighs a resigned sigh, and meets Misato's eyes. "This'll be expensive as all hell, colonel."

"That it will, sir, but it's our best shot." Misato crosses her arms across her chest.

Gendo thinks for a moment and then nods, "It is indeed. Very well. Proceed with the plan, colonel."

–

–

Ritsuko starts getting a bitter taste in her mouth, like a mix of wood and paint. Not strange, considering that's about exactly what it is. She takes the chewed pen out of her mouth and sticks it behind her ear instead.

The car comes to a halt and she closes the folder she has in her lap, putting it into its briefcase. She rises out of the oddly boxy black van, leaving the stocky & handsome and the round & clever-looking agents in the car. Maya comes around from the other seat, holding her own briefcase in both hands.

Four other NERV employees dressed in the same greyish brown uniforms with white fly covers and pale blue triangles at the collar and sleeves; jackets and pants for the men and dresses for the women. It's the same that Vice commander Fuyutsuki wears.

The entourage gather up and after a few brief words from Ritsuko they all march down to the exit of the underground parking lot, taking three separate elevators up to various parts of the complex above. Ritsuko and Maya take the one furthermost to the right and put in a special code, which takes them directly up to a long and completely featureless corridor. _I see NERV aren't the only ones with a penchant for constructing their buildings in an exaggeratedly dramatic fashion._

They walk down the corridor in silence, pass a checkpoint at its end where they have to flash ID badges, and they are let into an enormous hangar, one large enough to easily contain an Evangelion lying down. For now, most of it is taken up by an enormous monstrosity of a gun, the barrel alone as long as an EVA's arm.

They are immediately spotted by a trio of men standing by a whiteboard ten-or-so metres off along the wall. One JSSDF officer and two civilians who Ritsuko guess to be engineers turn from their conversation and hurries up to her and Maya. The JSSDF officer, the model soldier with a muscular build and broad shoulders speak up first, "Who are you two? I'll see your access permits, I think!"

One of the engineers coming up behind the officer crosses his spindly arms loosely over his chest, giving Ritsuko a sullen look, "They're NERV officers. This won't be good."

Maya returns the engineer's glare, and with a dignified 'hmpf' opens her own briefcase, holding out a paper for the officer to read through with a sinking expression while Ritsuko gently brushes him to the side and steps up to the two engineers. The one who as of yet hasn't spoken, a tall and slender fellow with a bandage around his left hand takes a step forward, "I think I can guess what you're here for."

Ritsuko simply nods, and digs up a paper from her briefcase, holding it out to the man with the bandaged hand. He takes it, reads it quicker than Ritsuko ever could have with a grim expression, and hands it to the shorter guy behind him. "Everything appears to be in order, unfortunately. But how are you going to transport it?"

The shorter one isn't having any of it though, and lower the paper after reading it for just a second, "This is outrageous! All our work gone into this, just snatched away by someone with enough money to buy permits from the government?"

Ritsuko shakes her head and speaks up for the first time in a while, saying "Believe what you want." She then looks up to an observation balcony on the wall, situated about halfway between the hangar's floor and ceiling. She sees one of the other NERV employees, a well-shaved and cut man, standing there and giving the thumbs up. Ritsuko nods, and turns back to the taller engineer, "We will be taking the E.E.W.A.U. immediately. As you can see in the papers you can expect it back in approximately two days' time in no specified condition. We thank you for your cooperation."

"In no specified condition?!" the shorter engineer shouts with outrage, and Maya shrinks visibly under his furious gaze. The taller man with the bandage turns and lays that hand on his colleague's shoulder, giving him a stern look that silences any further complaints. He then turns to Akagi, "I completely share my colleague's irritation with this transaction, and will be filing every available complaint against NERV as soon as possible, Miss Akagi."

Only now does Ritsuko actually recognize the man, upon hearing him utter her name. "That is well within your rights, Mr Tagao," she replies flatly, meeting his stern blue eyes. The man stares back into hers for a moment, Ritsuko can feel herself being read like an open book. That was always a quality of his. Outwards he is calm and non-confrontational, but you can be sure he knows your every secret after just exchanging eye contact with him. Of course, he and Ritsuko already know one another.

He steps up close to her, asking in almost a whisper, "What's this about, Ritsuko? You are usually not much for chit-chatting, but you only get this cold when you want to avoid all possible risk of delay."

 _Damn him for his perceptiveness_ , she thinks, a sigh escaping through her nose. He is more or less the only human being not working directly for NERV who possess more than very superficial knowledge of the Evangelions, and has more than likely guessed at their purpose being greater than just keeping the nation safe. The fact that she didn't immediately recognize him surprised Ritsuko, considering his bandaged hand was visible to her. He had been present during the activation test where Unit-01 went berserk, sitting in a helicopter flying over the area as a VIP guest of the trials. When Rei's plug blasted out of the Evangelion and slammed down amongst the trees, he demanded the helicopter be landed and personally forced the smoking hot hatch open, burning his hand in the process. He knew or at least had a good idea as to their importance as well as that of the pilots.

She adjusts her glasses for a moment to avoid his eyes, to think about how much she would tell him. He's the most intelligent man she knows, which makes the decision all the trickier. A second passes, and she looks back up to meet his gaze and quietly replies, "A desperate and possibly catastrophic plan."

There's then a loud clanking noise from above, and the hangar ceiling is split in two, opening up to immediately fill the hangar with the roar of helicopters. Surely a dozen descend from the skies, all carrying thick steel wires from which supermagnets hang, to carry the E.E.W.A.U. away, and no more is said.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

 _Queue dramatic music_ , Misato thinks to herself, looking down from the helicopter as it clears a mountain top and the fortress-under-construction comes into view: It almost resembles a staircase that leads up to a large, plain platform with a trench along the centre and medieval-style battlements along its far rim. The staircase-like construction itself runs up the side of a mountain, with the platform at the top built around the mountain top. It's of course Evangelion-sized, since it's atop that platform that Unit-01 will take up its position with the sniper rifle. After the climb up the stairs have been made by Unit-01, each step will house power cables, condensers and converters that will feed power to the E.E.W.A.U.

This fortress is situated at the very back of the valley between Tokyo-3 and the coast, a vaguely half-moon shaped mountain range with an opening down its middle that leads to Tokyo-3. Misato shifts her eyes from the fortress below to the valley beyond, where the buzz of activity is just as intense. Every road is choked full of trucks carrying building material, cranes are sticking up amongst the trees everywhere, even construction helicopters are swarming like flies around the mountainsides and great forests in the valley carrying material and manpower. Whole patches of forest are being cleared to make room for reinforced concrete bunkers stuffed full of artillery, holes in the ground where missile silos are constructed and even old warship gun turrets are being put into the ground to serve as smaller-scale fire support. This is not exactly what Operation: Yamashira was intended for; it was meant as a defence plan able to build a fortified line running the width of Japan in case of invasion, to provide a stable defensive line from which to mount counterattacks. The plan was designed to be executed and the defensive line deployed on a very short notice, so the project has at its disposal the best engineers and construction equipment available in the world, a skilled workforce, and a near-as-damnit unlimited budget.

Can NERV pay for all that? Of course it can!

Ritsuko turns to Misato and speaks, breaking her out of her reverie, "Construction seems to be proceeding as planned. All that's left now is to wait until it's finished, install the power system, and we're ready."

"Yeah," Misato replies, nodding briefly in Ritsuko's direction, "I think we've seen what we needed to see. Let's head back to NERV. Construction should be completely finished by nightfall, and we need to brief the pilots on the plan before then."

"Agreed."

 _Well, there's not something you hear every day,_ Misato thinks with a small smirk as Ritsuko shouts to the pilot, and the helicopter turns back to where it came.

–  
–

"So we're just going to shoot it? Nothing more complicated than that?" _This sounds too easy_ , Shinji thinsk to himself with a sinking feeling.

Ritsuko shakes her head, "No, it's not any more complicated actually, at least not for you. All you'll do is operate the rifle, and even that won't require much of you. The targeting software will tell you where to point the gun, and you simply have to pull the trigger. No harder than using the assault rifle."

Shinji nods, arms crossed. They're sitting inside the inactive bulk of a twin-engine helicopter large enough to fit a car inside, Shinji and Rei and Ritsuko and Misato, going over the plan. Rei raises her hand, and speaks up, "And Unit-00? Will I be on reserve in case Unit-01 should prove unable to fire the rifle?"

Misato shakes her head, and pushes off the wall she was previously leaning against, walking up to the small whiteboard Ritsuko's drawn up the plan on, "No, you will be acting as the last line of defence for Shinji. He's positioned here," -she points on an icon at the back of the makeshift map- "and you'll be standing in front of him but not so that you're blocking his shot. In case the Angel finds out what we're doing and attacks Shinji, you'll do your outmost to ensure his safety until the Angel has been destroyed."

"Unit-00 will be equipped with a shield for this purpose," Ritsuko continues, "It's an old spacecraft heat shield, redesigned with highly experimental technology that will allow it to amplify Unit-00's AT field, so that it doesn't melt immediately. We hope it will be enough."

Rei nods, seemingly satisfied. "Unit-00 will do what it takes, colonel."

Misato stares back at Rei for a moment as if she wants to say something more, but appears to think better of it and simply nods. She then addresses both Rei and Shinji, "The Evangelions have been moved here and are ready to be activated when the time comes. I advise you both to get dressed, and simply wait."

–

The two teenagers nod, and rise to leave. Ritsuko turns and stares at the whiteboard drawing for a moment. "A weapon based on the theory of Phased light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. And now we're channelling all the electricity that Japan can bring up into one large enough to vaporize a mountain. We're working with a lot of variables here, Misato."

"I know…" Misato runs a hand through her purple hair, looking out towards the battlements beyond the landing platform, "But I think we've managed pretty well, considering what we're up against."

"I can agree with that," Ritsuko replies with a tinge of amusement to her tone. She glances towards Misato, "Just don't get you hopes too high."

Misato frowns, turning her head to meet Ritsuko's eyes, "What's that supposed to mean? It has to work."

"Because _you_ want it to?" the blonde says, calmly.

Misato lets out a frustrated sigh, pushing off the wall she had been leaning against. A second pass, and then she speaks up, "Where do we fall back to, hm? If this doesn't work, and worse yet if we lose the Evangelions, then what?" She takes a small step forward, affixing Ritsuko with a hard, irritated stare.

"You know perfectly well what we do then," Ritsuko snaps at Misato, turning to face the younger, purple-haired woman. "You know quite well," she repeats, meeting Misato's glare without giving an inch, "We drag the Angel and Lilith down to hell with us."

Misato stands perfectly still for a moment, apart from her hands slowly unclenching. _Does she really think she can save everyone?_ Ritsuko thinks to herself while watching Misato, letting her cool down.

"That is not an option, Ritsuko," Misato finally forces out through clenched teeth. "Not already. NERV can do better than that."

Ritsuko shakes her head, crossing her arms, "You miss my point. Sooner or later you have to come to terms with the fact that we have to be able to go to such lengths to stop the Angels."

A second goes, and then Misato just turns on her heel, leaving the helicopter, "I suggest you get to work on calibrating the E.E.W.A.U. targeting software, it won't be long until the Angel arrives now," and then she's disappeared around a nearby corner until Ritsuko can respond.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

The wind down by the bay is chilling, it always has been rawly cold down by the coast in the evening. According to Misato it wasn't always so damnably cold, back when Japan still had summers. _I suppose that's a decent piece of motivation: get back at the Angels for making me sit here in the cold to wait for them._

Shinji hears something like footsteps approaching, and turns his head to see Rei walking up to him. In the dim glow of a pair of floodlights mounted on a simple metal pole a few metres behind her the term 'ghostly' feels like an appropriate term to describe her appearance; it's like she melts away in her own shadow that she casts ahead of herself, her blood red eyes the only thing Shinji can say for sure are even there. In the distance Unit-00 stands inactive with its shield.

"So, you're here to rail on me as well, huh?" Shinji mumbles, bleakly. Rei halts for a moment; a light frown seems to come down over her eyes, but he can't really tell. "With that tone, then maybe yes."

 _She and Misato are in cahoots, I swear._

Rei sits down a few metres away from Shinji, wrapping her arms round her knees, curling up as much as she's able to with some manner of dignity. _So she actually becomes cold too. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised to see that._

Then a question suddenly bubbles up inside Shinji's head and he utters it before he can stop himself, "How do you cope with it?"

"Cope with what?" Rei asks flatly, showing neither intrigue nor irritation at the question.

Shinji blushes faintly, but now that he's started he might as well finish. "With piloting... You said it was out of duty, but how does simply _wanting_ to do something allow you to go through something like... Something like with the last Angel? When I couldn't, _you_ spread your EVA's AT field to allow the missile to hit the core, and you never complained. For me it was terrifying... Although I can't explain why."

Listening patiently to the remainder of the question, Rei glances over to Shinji for a moment, and for a moment of that moment he could swear that he sees something like sympathy in her eyes. "That is understandable," she begins, turning her eyes out towards the sky beyond the battlements, "When you surround yourself with the golden light, you close out your surroundings. You tap the Evangelion's power and reach into your tsoul, creating a space where only you and the Evangelion exist, a territory that cannot be invaded by any other force or will. For that time, the world around you ceases to be, in a sense. What you felt when you spread Unit-01's AT field like that was loneliness, the greatest loneliness any being can ever experience."

She's right. As Rei explains, Shinji remembers again. The ground stopped shaking, the wind stopped screaming, saving the world stopped being relevant; the world stood still around him. And he screamed because he no longer remembered the faces of anyone he knew, or remembered he knew anyone for that matter. Memory itself faded and there was only him, the silently beeping instruments of his plug, and... And something else. He remembers that for one instant, just before he lost it, one memory had surfaced, as if only the absence of all other memory forced this one to the surface; a memory of a face and a voice, but Shinji can't remember whose they belonged to.

Rei glances towards Shinji again, and seeing how he's fallen silent and a little pale, she continues, "You only need to be prepared for the effects of maintaining a high-strength AT field next time and you will be all right. It will not be required of you tonight however; I will see to that."

Shinji nods stiffly, staring blankly out towards the sea. _Does loneliness really scare me that much?_

He hears Rei utter a sound of surprise, and glancing towards her he can see her staring intently out towards the horizon. He follows her gaze, and there he can see it; a tiny point of red-pink light, illuminating the thin cloud layer.

"It's time we take positions," Rei states flatly, and rises, already underway. Shinji produces another nod, and follows her to the makeshift Evangelion cages.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

"Alright EVAs, move to your positions."

You can clearly see the Angel in the distance now. A pillar of dark pink energy, twice as tall as the few small clouds, something like auroras that light up the clear evening sky following above it. There cavity that was mentioned earlier can clearly be seen now through binoculars, an oval bulge located on the upper half of the Angel's body.

Unit-00 takes position on the platform in front of and to the left of Unit-01, which is now in the process of kneeling down and hooking up to the sniper rifle's targeting systems. The air inside the command centre is steaming with anticipation, and the clock is ticking down. One minute left. Reports keep scrolling down about the various mini-fortresses along the coast and artillery emplacements further inland preparing for action, air bases readying their aircraft for takeoff, battalions of tanks taking up positions along coastline roads. Thirty seconds.

One of the telephones ring, and Makato holds it up to Misato, "It's the UN Pacific Fleet command, ma'am." Twenty-five seconds. Misato takes the phone, "NERV-3 military command central, come in please."

"This is the Un Pacific Fleet, we are in position and ready for firing coordinates, over." Fifteen seconds.

"NERV-3 military command central to UN Pacific Fleet, operations will commence momentarily. Stand by for coordinates in accordance with the plan, over." Ten seconds.

"UN Pacific Fleet to NERV-3 command central, we copy. Out."

Misato hands the phone back to Makato, and turns to Gendo who is sitting on an office chair elevated by an empty crate, a small desk on which he can put his shoulders so that he can comfortably clasp his hands before his face, remaining completely stoic despite the somewhat makeshift arrangement of his seat; Misato nods to him, and he looks up, just as the timer hits zero, "Commence the operation!"

"Roger!" comes from everyone present, and Misato spins on her heel, facing the wall on which a selection of camera feeds are being displayed with the use of a holographic projector. "Coastal artillery emplacements 1 and 5, first barrage, open fire!"

Two of the most remote of Tokyo-3's coastal batteries turn up their launchers up towards the advancing Angel, and lets loose a swarm of missiles originally intended for anti-ship purpose. They soar through the evening sky and impact against the Angel's AT field, uselessly.

"No reaction." Misato nods to herself. "2 and 4, open fire!"

Having expended their allotment of missiles, the earlier costal batteries cease fire and two other ones, closer together along the coastline open up. This time too, the missiles impact without apparent effect against the AT field. But this time something changes.

* * *

These pests stand in my way. This one will destroy these many.

* * *

 **End of chapter 8, part 1.**


	9. Angel be cross, man (ch 8, part 2)

Author's note.

Ladies and gentlemen, I owe you all an apology. This chapter is not only horribly late, it's also horribly short. A bit anti-climactic for the chapter you've been waiting two whole weeks for, I think. And I'm sorry! School and other things getting in way of writing, but now at least you have the conclusion of chapter 8, and ch.9 is two thirds done, so hopefully I'll can finish that this weekend, and write chapter ten next week so that you get two chapters next week. 'Hopefully' being the key word.

End of Author's note.

 **Chapter 8: Angel be cross, man, part 2.**

"The Angel did not surface so close to the fleet by random chance."

Silence descends over the dark SEELE council chambers. The middle-aged woman with the half-moon glasses is remaining silent, hands clasped before her on the desk. The American sits back, thoughtfully stroking his stub of a beard. The black-haired Brit, the blonde Frenchman and the brown-haired German all exchange looks after Keel said out loud what had been on everyone's mind. They'd almost been had by the Angel, and none of them like it one bit.

Anton, the American, finally breaks the silence, "Yes, but even if it was an intentional move on the Angel's part, it never appeared hostile until Unit-02 spread its AT field, and it never tried to reach the Over the Rainbow and Kaji specifically. You'd think that it would be able to practically smell the Key at that distance."

"What would the Angels want with the Key, though?" the British woman says, calmly. "They can't use it, they must understand that much. No, this was no attempt at jump-starting Third impact. This was a statement."

"Yup," the blonde Frenchman continues, fiddling with his hands almost nervously, "They know. They understand."

"Now now, friends," Anton says with a gesture of his hand, "We don't even know how the Angels think at all, it may just have been that it knew _roughly_ where the Key was, and just lost interest because it couldn't find it."

The Russian woman finally speaks up at that, "The point still stands. The Angels seem aware of our activities to a greater or lesser extent. First we have the Third Angel very specifically targeting the scientists that studied it during its rampage through Bethany base, and now the Fifth Angel goes after the Key."

"Indeed," says Keel, "We need to be more careful in the future. It seems it was fortunate that we did put Unit-02 on the same convoy to Japan after all."

The Frenchman nods, "It was also _quite_ fortunate that Unit-02's pilot was able to disengage the Angel. In a straight-up fight the Evangelion would most certainly have been destroyed and worse yet, the pilot killed."

"We may lose a pilot still," the Brit injects, "The Fifth Angel seems to be stretching NERV-3 to its limits."

Keel shakes his head at this, grunting in disagreement, "Only one of them is at risk if I understood their plan of engagement correctly, and that one is fortunately a lot more expendable than the rest."

The other four committee members nod in agreement.

––  
–

* * *

–  
– –

The bulge near the top of the Angel's form expands, and with a spurt of blood is sliced in two, each strand moving apart and revealing a cavity within the stream of energy, the walls of which are lined with something much reminiscent of rib-bones, containing the blood-red crystal core. There's a flash of white at the mouth of the opening, and then both fortresses 2 and 4 are simultaneously blown to pieces, leaving only shallow craters.

"Launch sites destroyed by the Angel!" Makato announces, and a small smirk grows on Misato's lips. _Finally got you to flinch, huh?_ She pats Makato on the shoulder, "Commence phase two of the defensive operation. All battle stations, rotating fire cycles! Make your ammunition last!"

The defensive emplacements along the small harbour town standing in between the advancing Angel and Tokyo-3 open fire, letting rip missiles and mortar fire that hail explosives down on the Angel. In response it reverts back to its original form, and then its pillar-shaped body is cut open again. This time four arm-like appendages shoot out from the centre at 45 degree angles up and down, giving it altogether a shape much like a star. The opening flashes again, and the harbour town below is wiped clean off the face of the Earth by another explosion.

 _That was a bit more of a violent reaction than I had been hoping..._

Next a series of missile silos hidden along the mountain range that surrounds Tokyo-3 open up, releasing their payload into the air. Missiles swarm up into the evening sky, forming up in the sky above the Angel like a rain of fire arrows to blot out the sky. The Angel shifts very slightly, and then its four 'arms' bend forward, meeting in front of the eye. In that moment the entire form of the Angel pulses white, and an energy wave shoots out from the Angel's appendages, cutting through the air like a sword. It swats the missiles out of the sky, for a few moments illuminating the city with flashes of amber orange. The Angel reverts back to its previous configuration, there's another flash, and a purple energy beam so potent that it flickers in and out of view in the night cuts across the mountain range, destroying the silos.

"What's the status of the sniper rifle?" Yui asks in Ritsuko's direction, standing besides Gendo on a box of her own. The blonde takes a quick look at the readouts on Maya's display and turns to Yui, "Still powering up. Approximately two more minutes before all the power converters are connected so that we can begin stage two connections."

"Two more minutes minimum before firing…" Misato mumbles to herself.

Outside, Tokyo-3's primary defence grid, as well as most of the remaining defensive emplacements have opened fire, taking turns so that the Angel is kept under constant pressure while saving ammunition for as long as possible to slow it down. A volley of railgun-accelerated slugs shoot through the air, ricocheting off of the Angel's AT field, but the position from which they came is camouflaged and small enough that the retaliation from the Angel partially misses, leaving the guns singed but intact, and a missile silo cluster on the other side of the valley takes over.

–  
–

Despite the action around him, Shinji sits in relative peace. No sound exempt for the quiet humming of the sniper rifle next to him and the occasional clicking noises of the pseudo-helmet his EVA is wearing reach the insides of the plug. It's not like last time however, he still feels quite connected to the rest of the world. Guiltily he admits that he had hoped it'd be a tad more exciting than this, his earlier reluctance none withstanding.

A 90mm autocannon sitting a few hundred metres off in front and to the right of Shinji's position opens up on the Angel in the distance. After a few seconds the Angel turns towards Shinji's position, there's a flash of white, and the flickering beam of purple energy strikes the gun's ammunition belt which sends the gun itself up into the air from the explosion.

Behind him, the vast and sprawling network of electric transformers and condensers are fervently humming away, green lights on top of the differently-sized pods coming on one after another. He glances to the left. Power levels are rising. He glances to the right. Targeting software is almost done configuring. Then the intercom starts beeping, and Misato speaks up, "We're almost ready for phase three, Shinji. How are you holding up?"

He shrugs, "Fine, fine. Just waiting for orders." He frowns lightly. _Have I become a military man now, huh?_

"Rei?" Misato continues, keeping the channel open, "You good too?"

"Yes." Rei replies, flatly.

A rough kilometre down in the valley before Shinji a mortar goes up in flames, and Misato announces that "We are beginning phase three of the defence plan! Shinji, activate the targeting visor and prepare to fire! Rei, keep on your toes. You are Shinji's only line of defence."

–  
–

"Yes, ma'am," Shinji and Rei responds almost in tandem, and Misato turns down to Shigeru. "Open the tier three power channels, prepare the tier two connections. Arm sniper rifle."

A feed displaying Unit-01 from multiple angles show the crane-like loading mechanism hoisting a cylindrical object into the rifle's breach, a lock closing over it and an indicator on Makato's console turns from red to blue, "Rifle ready to fire, ma'am. Only awaiting charge to reach critical."

"Tier two power conductors connected," Maya announces, with some hurry, "The final connection will be made momentarily!"

Misato nods. "Proceed to phase three of the operation! All fortresses, fire at will! Makato, send coordinates to the Pacific Fleet, give them the go as well!"

Night has fallen over the city, but the mountain ranges around the city are now lit up by a continuous barrage of fire from artillery and missile launchers, large-calibre autocannons and tanks. Tracer rounds illuminate the sky and the Angel's AT field light up, not flickering but shining firmly in the night like a wall of golden glass. The Angel fires again, vaporizing a gun battery on the other side of the city from Shinji's position.

"Final connections are ready! All power to the ultra-high voltage discharge system!" Ritsuko announces, Maya and Shigeru acknowledges and Makato follows up, "Relinquishing tactical control of defensive operations to the JSSDF! Engaging sniper rifle firing control."

"Adjustments for Earth's gravity and rotation will be completed momentarily!" says Shigeru.

"The defensive line is collapsing! The Angel will notice us any moment now!" says Yui, staring out at one of the displays on the screen before them.

"Final adjustments made!" Shigeru shouts out.

"Begin the countdown!" Misato barks.

Makato nods. "Countdown to firing, twenty seconds..."

As he begins counting down to zero, you can see that the barrage outside has been diminished considerably, and the valley is now lit up by fire and ember rising into the sky, the burning remnants of the city's hastily erected extra fortifications turning the mountains into something reminiscent of trees covered in light bulbs and fake electrical candles. To compensate a flight of bombers can be seen overhead, coming on in waves to maintain a continuous barrage of bombs and missiles until Unit-01 can fire.

"Seven... Six... Five... Four..."

The Angel fires again, and the sky is lit up by an explosion so powerful it swats half the aircraft out of the sky almost immediately.

"Three... Two... One... Zero!"

"Fire!" Misato shouts.

The reticules align on the cavity near the top of the Angel and Shinji pulls the trigger. Radiators along the side of the rifle begin glowing hot red. A moment goes by and then the letters "DISCHARGE" come up on a screen to his left, and his entire field of view is taken over by a brilliant flash of deep orange light.

–

Just as the last gun falls silent in the valley the rifle fires, and beam of energy, fiery orange, lances out from the fortress towards the Angel. It meets and cuts right through the AT field, and blasts a hole in the great cavity where the core hangs. A high-pitched feminine scream echoes across the valley, so loud is shatters a wine glass somewhere in the outskirts of Tokyo-3. The Angel starts ripping in the seams, tears form across the flickering pillar of energy that makes up its body, squirting out blood that colours the ocean around it red. The 'arms' are sucked back into the centre of the pillar and the now-hollow cavity closes on itself, the whole Angel's form shuddering. Then it suddenly turns solid black and shatters like a tree struck by lightning, sending splinters of stone-like matter every which way, some debris even reaching the Japanese shore.

A general cheer goes up inside the NERV-3 command centre, several people raising their firsts and punching the air in joy. Yui breathes again, it feels like she's been holding her breath the last half hour. Misato and Ritsuko down below exchange a glance and they both then turn up to Yui and Gendo. The Commander speaks up, keeping it cool but still not completely hiding his own elation, "Very well done, colonel. The Angel threat has been neutralized with minimal loss of life and…" He looks out through a window to the burning valley below, "…And only replaceable resources destroyed."

The gathered officers chuckles a little at his comment, some of them still sounding a bit nervous. Everyone laughs but Maya, who is staring intently at the info feed on her computer screen. Ritsuko turns to her and puts a hand on Maya's shoulder, just as an alarm goes off which silencing everyone inside. Yui can see Ritsuko's face go pale, and then suddenly the main view screen light up with warning signs: "ALERT, BLOOD TYPE: ORANGE CONFIRMED" and at least one other and much noisier alarm starts blaring. Yui's hand comes up to cover her mouth as she stares out into the night; out over the ocean where the Angel had been a halo has formed, chalk white and large enough to encompass all of Tokyo-3, shining bright like the sun itself.

"Oh God, no…" Ritsuko mumbles in something akin to horror, and she rushes past a stupefied Misato over to Makato's station, hand on his seat, "Patch me in to the pilots quickly!"

Makato quickly does as he is told after a confused nod from Misato, and Ritsuko barks into the mic, "Pilots, brace yourselves! The Angel survived!"

There's a pulse of light in the centre of the giant halo, and then suddenly the pinkish pillar of light is there again, rising into the night sky as if nothing had happened. The halo disappears and relative darkness again descends over the coast, leaving everyone holding their breaths in terrified anticipation.

"Angel is powering up!" Makato shouts suddenly. The red-pink form of the Angel begins glowing brilliantly, shedding the valley in a reddish light. Then the slit near the top opens again, this time revealing a great eye, white with a red iris that looks disturbingly organic compared to the remainder of the Angel's body. The bulge expands and then grows two arms that shoot out to either side, turning the Angel into a two thousand meter tall crucifix. Total silence reigns for a split second, and then light start gathering before the Angel's great eye, accompanied by a high-pitched female screaming that becomes louder and louder until suddenly it stops and the Angel's eye flashes, sending a flickering beam of purple energy down towards Shinji. But suddenly Unit-00 stands there, in the way, shield raised. The beam strikes Unit-00 square-on, the Evangelion's AT field can be seen for a split second before a great plume of fire engulfs the fortress, scorching the mountain clean of vegetation.

"Status of Evangelions?!" Ritsuko barks out a moment before Misato could say the same. Maya reports that both are intact and functional, as well as the pilots, but Makato has more dire news, "Unit-00's heat shield is deteriorating at a rapid rate! The sniper rifle is also having problems with its cooling unit, under the circumstances it'll take a little while longer to ready the cannon for firing!"

Misato runs up to Makato's station and grabs the mic, "Shinji, are you good to fire again?!"

His response is barely audible over the noise of the mountain being burned away around Unit-01, "I'm fine! According to these graphs I'll be aimed by the time the rifle is ready to fire!"

Misato nods and looks up again, at the video feed at the front wall; a camera fitted to the front of Unit-01's helmet is showing Unit-00 holding the slowly melting shield up in front of it with both hands in a slightly crouched position, hiding as much of itself as it can. You can see nothing beyond the orange Evangelion, all is consumed by a raging firestorm as the energy beam strikes the mountain and sends a constant stream of burning matter up in Unit-00's face. The shield suddenly shrinks as one layer of material is burnt off completely and Unit-00 takes a step back, almost faltering for a moment.

–

The noise around Shinji is deafening, the ground shakes like during an earthquake and even for him it's getting uncomfortably hot inside the Evangelion. He can't imagine what it's like for Rei.

 _Once again she's stuck there, suffering while I have to watch helplessly and wait for something like this stupid rifle to ready up. How many more times will she have to stand up for me like this? Everyone calls me the hero, but what have I done? Hid behind Rei and then taken the credit, even though I never wanted it._

A bar fills up and turns green to his left, and a cross-section of the rifle shows all blue beneath it. The three targeting reticules are slowly growing closer, one of them has already locked on to the Angel's great eye where the core hangs. There's a noise like an explosion outside and Shinji can see a giant crack in the concrete before him, running from where Rei stands and all the way to the base of the stairs behind him. Beneath he can see how the mountain itself is starting to melt. Unit-00 crouches a little further down as another layer of its shield is burnt off.

 _Sooner or later I'll have to make some sort of effort on her behalf._

Then the words "READY TO FIRE" are suddenly displayed on his screen, and all three reticules align.

Shinji doesn't wait for Misato's order and immediately pulls the trigger. Just as he does the Angel adjusts its aim and points the energy beam squarely at Rei instead of the mountain below her, and the world for a moment is completely consumed by purple.

Then the rifle fires and fiery orange replaces the purple gloom, forcing Shinji to close his eyes as the light becomes too intense.

The orange energy beam of the E.E.W.A.U. strikes that of the Angel's head-on, and for a split second the two forces appear equal; but after that split second passes the Angel's energy beam is pierced and scattered by the E.E.W.A.U.'s, and the bright orange lance of energy strikes the Angel's great eye dead-on, burning the eye away and shattering the core behind. The cavity where the core was housed explodes with a feminine scream from the Angel, then the explosion stops abruptly and the pulsating flow of energy that makes up the Angel's body is sucked up into the spot where the core once sat, as if absorbed by a black hole. Then there's just nothing. Darkness falls over Tokyo-3, the half-melted mountain and the burning valley below the only testaments that a battle had taken a place at all.

Unit-00 drops its shield, shudders, and then falls flat backwards.

–  
–

The EVA powers down around her, leaving her thankful that _only_ the boiling hot LCL is still hurting her. She bites together and tries to eject the plug so that the LCL can be drained. Error message. _The EVA must have landed on its back_. She wasn't really lucid enough to feel exactly how Unit-00 had fallen.

Then her EVA lurches, and despite the pain she's in she lets out a little yelp as Unit-00 is flipped over. The error message disappears, she can hear the muffled sound of explosions and then the plug is ejected from Unit-00, the LCL draining. The plug is still left hot even with the LCL gone, but she has to admit that it almost feels pleasant.

Then she feels how the plug is lifted and then sat down on the ground, after which everything becomes perfectly calm and quiet. She leans back in the plug seat, trying not to move too much to make life easier for her burned skin, not even letting go of the butterfly-wing control. _I suppose I could excuse him for not being expedient,_ she thinks to herself. _At least the Angel was destroyed, I assume._ She suddenly shifts an inch too far and her plugsuit, while sturdy was not designed to withstand such ordeals undamaged, tears a tiny bit at the hip, her skin below tearing with it, reddening the white plugsuit.

 _I need to visit the LCL Plant again as soon as possible… I cannot continue breaking like this, not this soon._ She closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath. She grimaces as she can feel her skin somewhere on her chest tear open beneath the suit. _At least the Angel was destroyed,_ she repeats to herself.

Suddenly she can hear a clanking noise from outside her entry plug. A metallic grating, whining noise follows, another clank, and then the opening next to her seat flies open and Shinji stumbles into view, sticking his head in through the opening. There's a rush of cold air, but Rei doesn't mind it. Shinji looks terrified, his eyes watery with tears. There's a moment of tense silence between the two as Rei gingerly and with some effort raises her head and turns it to look at Shinji; only then does he actually say something, and very tentatively, "Are you alr- Are you hurt? How bad is it?"

"I will live," Rei replies, feeling like she's stating the obvious to someone who should know. Shinji breathes out, hanging his head dejectedly, "You'll live, huh. Well, I suppose it's a wonder, considering."

Rei frowns lightly, "Considering what?"

"You saved us," Shinji says, looking up again. He sniffs, blinking his welling eyes, "Don't you realize that?"

"I protected you," Rei says, growing a tad confused, "So that you could fire the E.E.W.A.U."

Shinji blinks away another tear, shaking his head, "I just pressed a button, and I was never in danger thanks to you. Thank the computer, not me. But you, you… You didn't hesitate to get up and defend me, a-and you stood up where a freaking _mountain_ melted under your feet, because it did, and y-you…"

His rant peters out and he tips his head down again, seemingly unable to look her in the eye. Rei herself barely knows what to say, and stammers out, "I-I suppose so…" She turns her own eyes away from Shinji, blinking in confusion, "Sorry, I'm not sure what to say in situations like these…"

Shinji makes a sound somewhere in between sobbing and laughing, and looks up again, "Just… Just smile and nod. That'll do for now."

Rei turns her head back to to meet his eyes, and finds that she doesn't have to force herself to smile at him.

Shinji holds his hand out to Rei and helps her out of the plug seat, but this time she doesn't tear or rip in the seams, and even notes that her hip has healed again as she steps out into the cold night. A rainbow is blazing across the horizon, and over the sea an enormous, chalk-white halo hangs, casting a full moon-esque light over the valley. Rei and Shinji stand to admire their work together for a moment in the shadow of the crouching Unit-01, and Rei finds that she's still smiling.

 **End of chapter 8, part 2.**


	10. Unwhole truths (chapter 9)

**Chapter 9: Unwhole truths.**

The sound of jet engines fill the warm noon air, sending birds and dust every which way and the ground trembles slightly as the enormous, eight-engined VTOL aircraft descends on the runway, carrying from a set of super-strength cables a giant red cross on which Unit-02 is suspended. The eyes light up in the same moment that the dozens of wired attached to Unit-02's arms and shoulders detach, dropping the red EVA to the ground. It neatly folds its knees to absorb the impact, barely disturbing the nearby windows.

Misato nods approvingly, and walks out from the cover of the nearby building. Unit-02 turns its head down to her as she approaches, kneeling down to get closer. A small emitter attached to each of the Evangelion's four eye lenses light up and together they project a black/white holographic image in front of Unit-02's face of Mari, waist-up, sitting inside the entry plug. She cheerfully waves and smiles, "Hey, Misato! Long time no see!"

Misato waves back with one hand while brushing her somewhat messed-up hair back over her head with the other, smiling back, "Yeah! It's good to see you again, Mari! How are you?"

"All good!" Mari shouts over the speakers, throwing her head back so that her hair waves slowly through the LCL, "Took no damage from the battle with the 6th, so we're all good!"

"Yeah, I got the report," Misato says with a nod. She crosses her arms, cracking a smirk, "Good job there by the way. How did you like your first encounter with an Angel?"

Mari grins wide, leaning forward in her seat in excitement, "Amazing! You wouldn't believe the adrenaline rush!" She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, making a sound Misato would associate with a purring kitten. "The battle itself was a tad anti-climactic though, I'll say," Mari continues after a moment, looking a tad disappointed. "I had hoped to actually get to _destroy_ my first Angel, but noooooo."

Chuckling, Misato lets her arms fall to her sides, "Good on ya'. Look, since the harbour got wrecked and this is the closest we can safely set you down we're at a bit of a loss as to how to get Unit-02 to NERV without rolling a power cable all the way here from Tokyo-3 and having you simply walk there yourself, so that looks like what's going to have to happen. Unit-01 will come here with a spare one in a little while; power down until then to preserve your battery and a helicopter will come and pick you up from the EVA, ok?"

The Evangelion nods together with Mari, and it shifts a little to settle into a posture that will be stable even when the EVA is powered down, just like on the Over the Rainbow the other day. Misato turns to walk back to the airport building where Yui is waiting, but turns after taking only one step and shouts up to Unit-01, "Again, it's nice to have you here, Mari. Good to see you haven't changed."

Mari laughs back at Misato, nodding with that cheerful smile of hers, "You can bet I'm glad to be here! I'll see you in a bit, Misato!"

The latter waves and then walks back to where she came from, while the hologram of Mari disappears and the EVA powers down behind her.

–

The hatch on the side of the plug opens and Mari steps out into the opening, seeing a military helicopter approaching slowly. She opens a compartment on the inside wall of the entry plug and takes out the only item inside, a pink towel with a cutesy little smiley face on it, and uses it to dry herself of the LCL as best she can before the helicopter arrives. She smiles into the warm wind blowing in from the mainland, more than happy to be done with the bad weather.

The helicopter arrives and Mari puts the towel back into its compartment. A rope ladder is lowered down for her and she's reeled up into the helicopter by a man and a woman barely distinguishable from one another, and once she's inside it turns out Ryan is in the helicopter as well, sitting opposite Mari.

"What's up with you being up here and not down there in the EVA?" he asks curiously as Mari settles down and dons a helmet. Once it's on she replies, "Angel busted the harbour, so I'm gonna have to wait until they can bring a power cable here and I'm powerwalking to Tokyo, apparently."

He chuckles heartily at that, grinning wide, "Good for you! Gives you time to enjoy the good weather."

"I know, right!" she retorts, grinning right back at him, "Best thing ever! And I wonder if they'll be trying to keep the Japanese from seeing me, considering the Evangelions aren't exactly common knowledge. I'm almost hoping I get to do some walk-of-fame action before getting to NERV." Mari's grin grows even wider, and Ryan just shrugs again as the helicopter puts down on the runway.

Mari takes off her helmet and hops out, turns around, and frowns as she sees Ryan still sitting in the helicopter. He calls out to her over the roar of the helicopter's engines, "I'm going ahead to NERV, apparently! I'll see you after your stroll!"

She nods, although her spirits sink a little bit, and gives him a smiling thumbs-up. He nods in return, and then the hatch is closed and Mari steps away from the helicopter as it takes off again.

–

Yui smiles amusedly as Misato comes back into the shade by the airport entrance, the former's arms crossed loosely about her midriff, "I didn't think you two were on such familiar terms, Misato."

"Well, you _do_ remember that I came back from Europe only a month or so ago, right?" she replies, brushing a strand of purple hair back over her ear. Yui nods, rolling her eyes, "Yes, I remember. I had thought you spent more time working and less time making friend though, if I'm to be honest."

Misato's hands shoot up in a defensive manner, "Hey, it wasn't all my fault! All I was supposed to do was evaluate the pilots objectively, but she crept up on me one evening in a café and just kept talking! Could you say no to that face?" she asks, gesturing outside where the Unit-02's entry plug has just been ejected, and shakes her head without waiting for a reply, "Of course you couldn't."

Yui's smile widens, and she nods. "Thank you for the warning I guess," she says, jokingly. "I suppose it is for the best that you already know her, since she and Ryan will also be staying at your place. Right?"

"Yeah," Misato says with a nod, a tad more serious now, "That's what the big apartment was for. They're both pretty good at taking care of themselves though, piloting will do that to you apparently."

Yui only nods, mirth now lost to her too, and changes the subject, "They start school in Shinji's and Rei's class in a few 't suppose you had a hand in delaying their entry into the school, hm?" She smiles, cheekily.

Misato nods again with a small smirk, glancing out to Unit-02 again where a camouflage-painted army helicopter is descending on the still Evangelion, rope ladder hanging out, "Yup. Figured it's best for them to get a few days' time to settle in before sending them off to the bench. They should run in to at least Shinji before-hand I think, so that they get to establish themselves a little. Actually," she adds with an air of suddenly remembering something, "Mari and Shinji will get introduced in just a little while, since Unit-01 is coming over with the power cable."

"Mhm," Yui replies, simply.

"How is the little spud holding up, by the way?" Misato goes on, referring to Shinji. She has seen him between the battle and now of course, but he was still a little shaken both times. Yui shrugs lightly, sighing, "Who's to say? He hasn't hopped on the first train out of the city and have had to be hunted down by the agents yet of course, but… Maybe Mari and Ryan will have a positive impact on him? Two young people with Rei's experience but without her poor manners."

Misato frowns a little, "She hasn't got poor manners. It's more a lack of them that's her issue. I was hoping Shinji could help her with that, but up until very recently he's been more afraid of Rei than anything." Misato shakes her head disappointedly.

"I suppose," Yui says with a shrug, "But regardless, I think this will be good for him, and maybe for Rei as well. We'll see."

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

 _One day I'm shooting at divine beings beyond my very comprehension with a weapon that literally uses up all of Japan's energy output, the next I'm tugging power cables around like a glorified line layer… NERV need to get their priorities straight, and lose their sense of humour._

Shinji sighs, and trundles on. At least he's glad for the nice walk. He's never gotten to see the landscape around Tokyo-3 from this far above during a time when he can actually take his time to admire it before, _obviously_ , and he's in no hurry. He rounds the corner of a mountain, a thought that's still quite strange to think, and comes upon the airbase. Not very large and covered in nothing but camouflage-painted buildings, hangars and aircraft, the red Evangelion crouching in the middle of the runway really stands out, ironically.

His comm system starts beeping, Misato is calling. He answers, in the most stoic and professional tone he can muster, "Hello, this is Chubu Electric Power, how can I be of assistance?"

"Oh, you stop complaining," Misato says with a healthy dose of mirth. "Everything's gone smoothly I hope?"

"Yup," Shinji replies, "No problems. I'm not sure the Tokyo-3 civil council will be very happy with what I've done to the forests though." Since he's been literally dragging the cable all the way here, he's made a path through the forests down to the airfield , it looks as if the land had been ravaged by a seriously oversized snake.

Misato chuckles at that, "We'll deal with it. Just drop the cable by Unit-02, Mari will take care of it."

 _Ah yes, them_ , Shinji thinks as he walks up onto the airfield, _Here's hoping they're as nice and friendly as Rei._

"Gotcha," he replies. A helicopter is just in the process of dropping someone off into the entry plug sticking out of Unit-02's neck, hopping in and closing the hatch after her. The red Evangelion powers up remarkably quickly and rises, stretching. It's a slight bit taller than Unit-01, with an armour layout more similar to Unit-00 with its chevron-shaped armour plates, and it continues Unit-00's tradition of having the wrong amount of eyes, four in this case. The helmet is narrow around the face and both the forehead and chin protrude noticeably from the face itself, giving it a distrinctly unhuma appearance.

It rolls its shoulders and then turns towards Shinji. "Why'd you have to take so long, Unit-02 gets so stiff after sitting inactive like that for too long," the feminine voice says, followed by a groan, using the speaker built into the base of the EVA's throat. Shinji activates his own and replies, a little stiffly, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't think there was, uh, any hurry."

The red Evangelion stares at him for a few moments, and then its head tilts back a little awkwardly, a laughing sound coming out from the speaker. Unit-02 waves its hand dismissively in Shinji's direction, "No no, no worries. If you could plug me in now though, that'd be great, I've only got another minute's worth of battery time."

He nods mutely and does as he's told, stepping up behind Unit-02 and without _too much_ fiddle attaches the power cable to the back of the red EVA. "Much better," she says and rolls her shoulders again, "Do we need to get introduced? You're Shinji, right?" He takes a respectful step back from Unit-02, nodding his EVA's head, "Yeah, that's me. And you're Mari, I guess?"

"Well, of course!" she replies, throwing Unit-02's arms out to either side, "Who else would I be?" There's no jeering spite in her voice, or even mirth, just friendliness, which in and of itself catches Shinji a bit off guard. Deciding to not make a further idiot of himself by answering a rhetorical question he changes subject, "You've got a secondary pilot too, right? Ryan?"

Unit-02 nods, hitching a thumb over its shoulder, "Yeah, Ryan went ahead of us. He'll probably be in Tokyo-3 by now, hitting on your blue-haired friend."

That last comment brings a blush so powerful onto Shinji's cheeks that his EVA must have started blushing as well, facial armour be damned, and Mari bursts out laughing again, "No he ain't, I'm just kidding." She then starts slowly walking in the direction Shinji came from, "You don't have to be afraid of me, y'know. I was told Rei would be a tough nut to crack but you're not like that as well, right?"

 _Tough nut to crack? Not sure how to interpret that._ "I suppose not," he says, and falls in behind Mari. "And Rei isn't that… Hard to get to. She's just not very good at making friends. Not that I have much to say about that…" He adds, trying to sound jokeful, and Mari snickers, patting Unit-01 on the shoulder to the extent that it can without banging its palm awkwardly against the shoulder pylon.

–

 _Two of the world's most advanced and deadly fighting machines, able to withstand direct nuclear strikes, fight Angels and require the very soul of another human being to function, and I just saw two of them talking casually about becoming the bestest friends forever. Riiiiiight._

Yui smirks to herself as she gets into the helicopter along with Misato, and they're flown off to Tokyo-3, with the two Evangelions strolling through the landscape beneath them.

–

–

Tokyo-3 is a beautiful city Ryan notes as he walks down its streets. Since it was literally build from the ground up in the last twelve years it has a uniform modern look to it, with nothing but glass within steel frames, plastic and polished wood. The city is divided into blocks in a much more literal sense than usually, since in the event of an emergency the blocks can be lowered down into the massive cavity underground that these people at NERV-3 call a "GeoFront", and defensive and Evangelion support structures can be raised in the civilian buildings' stead.

Of course, the copious amounts of neon lighting, street lights and all the lights from cars are dampened by the fact that it's in the middle of a very sunny day, making it much less impressive than it must be at night. He always loved that, strolling through a city on a warm evening, the world lit up by a thousand neon signs, street lamps and passing cars. He thinks it's wonderfully cozy. But not this time, oh well.

He stops by a random store and buys a little packet of candy, 'Kasugai' it says, and continues his stroll down the pavement. He's supposed to be making his way to NERV headquarters down below, but apparently there's no hurry, so he figured he'd walk around town for a bit before going down. He walks up to a pedestrian crossing, standing there for a moment with three others, two young men and a younger woman all holding bags of what looks to be dirty clothes. They talk and laugh among themselves, gossip by the sounds of it. The light turns green, the four cross the road, and Ryan walks in the opposite direction.

Deciding he's good for now, he flips up his cell phone and simply says, "You can pick me up now, please." Approximately ten seconds later a black, boxy car emerges from the traffic and the door opens for him. "Sorry to keep you two waiting," he says as he closes the door and the car speeds down the road again.

"That's fine," the tall agent by the wheel says, "We're here to watch you, not boss you around." He turns his head for a moment as they conveniently run up to a red light and flashes almost glittering white teeth in a grin. The shorter, rounder man sitting next to Ryan nods, "Exactly. We'd appreciate it if you tried to not get mugged _too_ often though, we like to keep a low profile."

Ryan chuckles and nods, glancing out through the car window as they take a left turn down to a less-populated part of town, "I'll keep it in mind, tell the muggers that if I see any." The two agents share in a little laugh at that, the driver again flashing that wide, killing grin that Ryan imagines would make women feint just from glimpsing.

They drive for a while in silence, take a car elevator down through the GeoFront, and into NERV-3 they went. He spent an hour-or-so getting shown through the NERV-3 complex, and then the agents escorting him bring him to a room, where on the far side there is a large steel door. The agents step back, saying that Ryan has two minutes. He nods, the doors open for him, and close behind him. Five dull metallic clanking noises come and go, and five lights shine up before him; white, gold, blue, green, red.

"God's in his heaven," Ryan says.

"All is right with the world," the five voices reply in unison.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

Misato unlocks the door, and in they go; Ryan, then Mari, then Shinji. It's gotten very dark, the horizon is a very thin and reddish band. They enter the living room and Ryan tosses his backpack down next to the couch, then to collapse there himself, breathing out long and heavy. Mari drops her bag next to Ryan's and steps into the middle of the room, looking about it curiously.

Misato remains by the door, not entering, "You kids get settled in, I gotta head back to NERV headquarters. Always more work to do. Won't be back until before I _expect_ you all to be sleeping. Lot to do tomorrow."

Ryan lazily raises his right hand and gives Misato a thumbs-up, Shinji nods mutely and a only mildly sarcastic "Have fun!" comes from Mari. Misato rolls her eyes, fakes laughter, waves, and closes the door.

There's a moment's silence between the three, with Mari kneeling down by the TV and Ryan glancing around the room. Shinji eventually stops figetting and points down towards the hallway with the bedrooms, "So, uh, you two have a room down the hallway there. You, uh, you'll know which one is mine and which is yours."

Ryan perks an eyebrow at Shinji, "We're sleeping in the same room?" Mari has turned her attention to Shinji as well at hearing this.

"W-well no, there i-is a paper screen diving the room," Shinji stammers out, hands raised defensively. Ryan only nods however, saying "Oh, good then," and grabs his bag, standing up, "I'll go and get settled in, if you don't mind."

Shinji nods a little stiffly, and Ryan walks down the hallway to the double room, disspearing into it. _Double room without a_ _shōji? Westerners._ Mari remains however, sitting crouched by the TV perched upon its throne of wires. Shinji tentatively speaks his mind, "You're not gonna... Go to?"

Mari shakes her head slowly, not taking her eyes of the mess of wires and cables, "Nah, I'm not very tired. I'd love to get this thing working, however." She moves a few of the cables, unearthing the DVD player hiddden there. She looks it over, frowning lightly, "Tad old. You know how to use this thing?" She looks back up at Shinji.

He shakes his head, "Not really, I've never had an occasion where I wanted to use it. I didn't bring any movies with me and Misato barely own any." He points to the telephone catalogue, sitting on something. "She's got them under the catalogue."

Mari waves her hand dissmissively, "Never mind, I think I'll manage. I doubt she has any good movies anyway..." She rises and looks around, spots the remote on the armrest of the sofa, and points, "Can you hand me the remote, please?" Shinji nods again and does so, holding it out to her. She thanks him and then crouches down by the DVD player again, starting it up.

"What makes you think Misato doesn't own any good movies?" Shinji asks idly, hands in his pockets. Mari smiles a little at that, "I know her pretty well. She's _far_ to much of a romantic for my taste when it comes to movies..."

"That's not exactly what I expected to hear," Shinji says after standing and looking surprised for a moment. Mari in turn chuckles, shaking her head, "Not very surprising, it took a lot of sweet-talking to make her reveal that." She then rises and walks over to the sofa, sitting down and hoists her bag up into her lap, rummaging around in it for something.

Shinji's stomach rumbles, something that Mari notices judging by the small smirk she produces, and he a little awkwardly excuses himself, saying "I need to eat something. You, uh, have fun."

He leaves Mari to her own devices and steps into the kitchen. A minute later he's just finished a sandwich and Ryan comes in, cleaning his black-framed glasses. He doesn't seem to nitice Shinji until he puts the glasses back, at which his eyes quickly shift to the sandwich in Shinji's hand. "Yeah, I had the same idea," he says with a small smile, and comes up to make his own. After a moment he raises his head for a moment as if remembering something and then turns to Shinji, "How long have you been staying here?"

Shinji thinks for a moment. "It'd have to be... A few weeks. Definately no more than a month." He takes a bite of his sandwich, trying and failing to recall the date he first came to Tokyo-3. _Has it really been that long already? Sure, a month isn't forever, but it doesn't feel like that long. Am I becoming that accustomed to the EVA?_

Ryan meanwhile only nods, looking as if he's thinking about something for a moment. He then goes on, casually, "Good. I may speak Japanese but I've never been to Japan before, and neither have Mari. My apologies, but we plebs don't really know how to behave here. Well, Mari probably knows a little more than I, but still. Bottom line, please smack either of us over the head with a suitable appliance if we do something dumb, alright?"

Shinji nearly chokes on his sandwich, and Ryan laughs heartily at him for it. A somewhat flushed Shinji finally responds, "I-I suppose I will," at which Ryan simply smirks, and takes a bite out of his own sandwich. Then a little thought strikes Shinji and an impulse he rarely gets makes him continue, saying, "How hard?" with a tentative smirk of his own.

"Hard enough to leave a mark, so we remember our past transgressions." Ryan chuckles softly, and takes a bite of his sandwich. Before either one of them can say anything else they can suddenly and loudly hear Mari literally praising the Lord from the living room, accompanied by the noise of the TV coming on. "She's easily excited, what can I say?" Ryan says with a shrug and a smirk.

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

The gentle heartbeat flowing through the pipes and down into her LCL-filled pod is the only thing which actually allows Rei to sleep fitfully. The warm glow of the criss-crossing trenches behind her as well as the lights around the base of the pod creates a soothing atmosphere, and the sound reminds her of a term Gendo used once, _"counting sheep"_.

She doesn't come here just to sleep though, he technically doesn't need to. It's a good way to clear the mind however, she has found. Nulevoj had first suggested it to her, after Rei's first activation test with Unit-00 that had gone so horribly wrong. Rei remembers how she had sat in her hospital bed, the monitor filled with that pale, red-eyed face so similar to Rei's but framed by fiery red hair and a smile. She said that it would help with the dreadfull nightmares of the incident, and it had. And now Nulevoj is dead, but at least she left one thing behind, apart from her memory in Rei.

Waking up, she smiles and nods to herself. _I am honoured to preserve you, cousin._

She glances down to her hip, the one that tore that day when they had defeated the 6th Angel. Not even a scar anymore. She raises her right hand, tapping in a command on the holographic keyboard, and the mechanical arms extend down to free her of the plugsuit, the pod is drained of LCL, and she steps out onto the warm metal floor.

 _I have slept enough for now._

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

Sun is shining down through the classroom windows, and the teacher concludes the lession. Everyone leave, store their stuff in thei lockers and take recess before the next class. Mari is standing by the lockers talking to Hikari and Yūka Murakumo, another one of their classmates, and Ryan is walking outside together with Shinji, Toji and Kensuke. These constellations had developed fairly quickly, Ryan sticking to Shinji who stuck to Kensuke and Toji, and Mari stuck to Hiari because she sticks to Toji who sticks to Shinji.

Because of the events of the previous 6th Angel Rei however had been absent from school, being treated for her injuries, until today. And now that she last in the class packs up her things and leaves the classroom, Mari immediately excuses herself from Hikari and Yūka, and runs up to the blue-haired girl as she stows her computer into her locker in silence.

"Hi!" Mari begins, with a friendly smile and a waving hand, stepping up to but maintaining respectful distance from Rei. The latter stops abruptly and turns her head just enough to be able to glance at Mari. "Hello," she replies, quietly.

She and Ryan have already met Rei at this point actually, there have been synch tests that they have all participated in, but she has never hung around to be talked to, and so Mari was eager to get to know her better.

"You keep to yourself a lot, Rei," Mari continues, untroubled by Rei's less-than-warm façade. "You've been dodging the rest of all these days. We're not dangerous, y'know."

Rei blinks, her expression only revealing the tiniest bit of confusion, "That's a silly thing to say, I know you are not more dangerouns than anyone else."

Mari only smiles at the deadpan reply, going on in a relaxed, friendly manner, "I was just hoping we could be friends. Y'know, since we're going to be working together, I figured we shouldn't be so cold. Unless you have a problem with either of us, of course."

Once again Rei makes that barely distinguishable expression of surprise, hands resting idly inside her locker where they were stowing her computer a second ago. "There's no problem, why would there be?" She turns back to her locker, taking out a pocket book and closing the locker.

"Good!" Mari says with a bright smile, "Then... Wy avoid the rest of us?"

"I am busy," Rei replies, simply, and starts walking down the hallway. She doesn't walk fast, so Mari falls in along side Rei, hands clasped behind herself, "Are you really so busy all the time that you have nothing left for making friends?"

Rei turns her head, once again meeting Mari's friendly smile with a perfectly neutral expression. "What would be the point of that?"

Mari cocks her head to the side, her smile slightly fazed and mixed with confusion, "Well, don't you want friends? Don't you have any friends?"

"I am an EVA pilot," Rei says as if it was the most obvious thing on planet Earth, "I pilot EVA. I don't need to do anything else."

"But you need to eat, right? You need to sleep?" Mari's smile is back, confident. Rei frowns, even though it's barely noticeable, "Of course I do. I will die otherwise. What does that have to with anything?"

"Well…" Mari begins, eyes torn from Rei and directed up into the ceiling in an almost dreamy fashion, "Friends are just as important as food or sleep, Rei. You need someone to talk to, someone… You can be yourself with, if you have a problem with that. Someone who will always smile and nod, and forgive you."

But Rei just shakes her head, eyes turned front, "I am still alive, am I not? I have existed for just as long as you" -Mari nods- "and yet I've never needed others to help me. I have no secrets to be confided with others, I have no quarrels to seek advice about."

The bespectacled brunette rolls her eyes, "Oh come now, Rei, you're being honest to neither me nor yourself here. You can't have never spoken to anyone else about your problems ever before."

Rei blinks, glances at Mari for a moment, and tilts her head down in what seems to be sincere thought for a moment. "I talk to Mrs Ikari about eventual problems," she eventually admits, a little quietly, "But those are never related to anything else than EVA."

"Well, there you go then!" Mari says cheerfully, "You said the EVA is important to you, and you talk to Yui about the EVA. I'd say that's as good a friend qualifier as any."

Rei stares at Mari for a brief moment, and then again turns her head forward, giving the vague impression of someone thinking through something quite thoroughly. _Odd. I suppose I will have to investigate._

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

She presses the little button below the keyhole to the door. After a moment it turns green, and a clicking sound announces the unlocking of said door. Rei opens and enters a small office, metal walls lined with bookcases stuffed full of books and the occasional stack of papers. The far wall is empty however and close to it sits a large but plain wooden desk behind which Yui Ikari is sitting, looking up from the computer monitor that shares the desk space with a miltitude of folders, open and closed. "Mrs Ikari," Rei says quietly while she closes the door behind herself.

She does nothing to mask her surprise at seeing Rei, straightening her back in the expensive office chair she's sitting in, "Oh, hello Rei. What can I help you with?"

Rei respectfully remains about halfway between the door and the desk, arms hanging loosely and hands clasped before her, "I... Wanted to ask you something. Of a personal nature."

Yui's confusion only mounts, but she nods nonetheless, making a small smile. "Of course, Rei. Go ahead."

There is a long, drawn-out moment where Rei says nothing, struggling to find the right words. She simply stares emptily right into Yui's eyes, wishing she could express herself without resorting to words and risk a misunderstanding.

…

…

"Are you my friend?"

Yui can't help her mouth from falling open in pure surprise over the question Rei eventually utters. She had never even heard Rei use the word 'friend' before, and now she's asking if they are friends? Yui blinks, eventually collecting her thoughts to the point that she speaks up herself, "Rei, what has brought this on?"

But the blue-headed girl just shakes her headm resolutely, "It doesn't matter. Just answer the question please."

Yui bites back the first thought that comes to mind, and instead chooses her words carefully. She leans forward over the desk, hands clasped. "Rei, we're colleauges. We work together, solve problems together... Fight together, in a narrow sense. I never thought that mattered to you, and so I suppose I never thought of seeing you as a friend..." It's all spoken very tentatively, almost carefully, but it's all Rei needs to hear.

"So no, then," she replies, not showing any signs of how this has affected her. No anger, no sad expression of someone feeling betrayed. Just a simple, factual understanding. Yui nods, slowly, "I suppose."

Rei nods as well, "Thank you, Mrs Ikari, for taking your time." She then turns and walks out, leaving a very confused Yui staring at the closed door for several seconds before leaning back in her chair.

 _So Mari was being dishonest after all_ , Rei thinks as she picks her way through NERV's maze-like corridors. _I suppose she likes to amuse herself with lies. I'll be careful with her in the future._

–

 _What the hell was that about?_ Yui thinks as she finally turns back to the monitor, _Friends? Me and Rei? I wonder who instilled that idea in her... Shinji, Mari, maybe even Ryan. Well, it doesn't exactly matter, I think she understood perfectly well._

She opens one of the folders on the desk, reading a paragraph and keying in a set of numbers onto the monitor. _I treat her like a human being, just like everybody else. Not sure I'd be comfortable going further than that, though. That abomination seems nearly hellbent on the idea that her sole purpose is to pilot the EVA, and I am more than happy to let her think that. She is probably not capable of anything else either way._

She looks up from the monitor and to a picture of herself but with her hair a brighter brown than now, and a few years younger. _You of all people should know, hm?_

 **End of chapter 9.**


	11. The core of the issue (chapter 10)

**Chapter 10: The core of the issue.**

 _Hm. I suppose it's nice to be back._ Kaji takes another sip from his cup of coffee, and cranes his head around the enormous, three-storey lunch hall. The entire wall to his left is made of glass, letting in the daylight and the wall behind him is covered almost entirely by a giant screen that's showing a short, repeating animation of the NERV logo. He spent his last day at NERV before his trip to Europe here, watching people come and go. He drew a sort of somber comfort in the fact that at least these people he had come to know and love wouldn't have to be the ones caught in the crossfire.

Then he got to know her, that pale red-head with her faceless Evangelion. _How cruel fate can be_ , he thinks, and with some effort puts the memory away. _It's history now. Better to forget about it_. _No sense in preserving memories of the past._

He finishes his coffee, and when he lowers the cup he spots a very familiar woman with short-cut blonde hair over the rim of the cup. She seems to spot him at roughly the same time, and turns to walk in the direction of his little table by the windows. "Good afternoon, Ritz," he says as she sits, putting a cup of steaming hot coffee of her own down. "You too, Kaji. Haven't seen you around much, what makes you suddenly come into open daylight as if nothing ever happened?" The two exchange a smile, Kaji toying idly with his empty mug, "I finally got all the paperwork sorted out with the Commander that I'm officially a member of NERV-3 staff again, and spent a day or two… Getting comfortable again."

In the corner of his eyes Kaji sees a trio of colourfully dressed kids entering the floor; Mari dressed in a red plugsuit with black on the inside of her arms and a green bar going over her collarbone, Ryan in an identical suit apart from the dark purple with bright blue inner arms and collarbone colour scheme, and Shinji in white and blue. They're talking casually, Mari laughing mildly at something Ryan said. Kaji turns his attention back to Ritsuko.

"So you're going to take up the job as NERV chief of security I suppose?" the blonde asks while stirring her cup of coffee with a small spoon. She looks like she needs the coffe badly, and Kaji once again mentally commends her on her strength of will. "I am, yeah," he replies, scratching the back of his neck. "I've yet to catch up with most of our agents yet though." Ritsuko smiles and puts the spoon down. "It'll be good to have you back, Kaji," she says, and takes a long sip of the still-steaming coffee. He nods, smiling, "Thanks. It's good to _be_ back." He leans back in his chair, one arm lazily hanging over the backrest, "So, any intrigues I should know about?"

While Ritsuko takes a moment to consider, Kaji sees the three colourful plugsuits in the corner of his eyes again. The three pilots have abandoned their soft drinks at the table and are rushing down towards the elevators in a great rush.

 _What could_ -

Then alarms start blaring throughout the lunch hall, and the screens behind Kaji begin displaying the message:

 **Condition One, red alert**

 **7** **th** **Angel approaching**

 **All personnel, report to your stations**

"Well," Kaji says with a small smirk as Ritsuko shoots out of her chair, coffee completely forgotten, "I'll be here when you're done playing war."

–

–

Ritsuko bursts into Central Dogma, seeing Misato standing over by Makato, the Commander up at his station without Yui and Maya is where she should be. Ritsuko takes a moment to look out through the viewscreen where the defensive emplacements around Tokyo-3 are firing relentlessly upon the Angel in the distance, its shape difficult to make up from the multitude of explosions ripping across the flickering surface of its AT field. She runs up to Maya's station without further delay, looking over the scrolling graphs; the Angel is much larger and with a 30% larger core than the EVAs. It's also surprisingly heavy, over two times as heavy as the EVAs. Blood pattern blue, confirmed 7th Angel; ASMODEL.

Outside, the Angel is slowly making its way through the earlier repaired defense lines of Tokyo-3. It's a very man-like Angel, stocky, with two elephant-like legs and arms ending in six-digit hands. It lacks a head though, between its shoulders it has a bony, ridge-like collar the same sickly green colour as its hide, within which the core rests, partially covered in several folds of greenish tissue. She straightens her back and turns to Misato, "I'd advice sending out at least two Evangelions at this one, Colonel. We're reading a powerful genetic makeup in this Angel."

"Roger," Misato replies and taps a command into Makato's console. A window to the left of the main viewscreen opens showing that a communications link to Unit-00, 01 and 02 have been established. Misato then speaks up, "Alright pilots, look alive! This Angel looks fairly straight-forward; it's got legs and arms and the core is visible."

"I'd advice caution," Ritsuko injects, "It's disproportionately heavy for its size, you should expect it to be a lot physically stronger than it looks."

"You heard her," Misato continues, "I'm sending in Unit-01 and 02 first, and keeping Unit-00 in reserve on the launch pad. We will call in a tactical N2 strike as you deploy which will hopefully have it stunned as you attack. You all got that?"

Three "Yes, ma'am!" come from the three comm channels. "Good!" Misato barks, "EVA launch!"

–

–

Unit-02 is locked onto the pad and launched up, racing towards the surface. A muffled boom comes from above, and then the hatch above opens and Unit-02 stands in the afternoon daylight, dust and heat washing over Mari as the locks release the Evangelion. In one swift motion she reaches for the assault rifle held next to Unit-02 on the pad, switching off the safety, and with a glance in Unit-01's direction gleefully shouts "C'mon Shinji, let's go!"

Mari then breaks into a sprint, hefting the gun up and blasting away at the Angel in the distance. The dust from the N2 strike has barely settled around them yet, artillery fire from Tokyo's guns hailing down on the Angel from behind the Evangelions as they rush through the smoke and dust. Mari empties her clip with controlled bursts of high-explosive death at the Angel and discards the assault rifle mid-sprint as it empties out; she pulls a knife from Unit-02's left shoulder pylon and leaps the final distance; she sees in the corner of her eye Unit-01, armed with a large spear leaping into the air as well.

It had all passed within the space of a few seconds, and now it suddenly feels as if time stands still. Then out of nowhere a crushing pressure envelops Mari's abdomen, pressing so hard it feels like her guts are going to get pushed up into her chest. Then her descent towards the Angel is abruptly changed, a ripping noise along with the sound of violently twisting metal echoes throughout her plug as whatever was crushing her stomach lets go, and she slams into Unit-01, sending them both tumbling to the ground in a heap. Unit-02 rolls up against a mountain and stops there, back against the hard rock. She glances down to Unit-02's abdominal plating, and sees every single plate has been either torn and frayed or twisted and bent inward, her own stomach aching but not hurting too bad. She looks up and sees the towering form of the Angel stomping towards them, gradually piecing together the fact that it had grabbed her mid-air and thrown her into Shinji. _Nice move, sneaky bastard._

The Angel reaches down for Mari, its very fingertips ending in new hand-like shapes that themselves end with six claw-like fingers for each, most of them covered with Unit-02's blood. Mari coughs a little and raises her knife to defend herself, but before the Angel can reach her Unit-01 comes in from Mari's left, spear ready to strike. Shinji leaps and plunges the spear right into the Angel's lower arm and twists, sending spurts of blood every which way as the Angel rears back in apparent pain, trying to pull its arm free. Shinji twists again and pulls the spear out which causes the arm to split in two, drenching Unit-02 in blood. The Angel stumbles off to the left and Shinji raises his spear defensively, getting in between Mari and the Angel. _How chivalrious of you_ , she thinks.

Enraged judging by the shrill cry it's emitting, the Angel spins on Shinji and the core lights up; a moment later Unit-01 is thrown across Mari's field of vision by a wide beam of red energy and into a building several kilometres away inside Tokyo-3, chest armour glowing. Mari quickly scrambles up again and stabs at the Angel's side; its hide is surprisingly tough and she barely manages to bury the entire length of the knife in the Angel before it turns around and back-hands Unit-02, almost sending her flying to the ground, knife still lodged in the Angel's side.

Groaning and spitting out a tiny wisp of blood into the LCL, Mari forces Unit-02 to get onto its knees. She taps a button and a window opens to her right. "Hey Shinji, you alright?" A similar groan is the first response she gets, soon followed by "Yeah, I'm fine. What now?" Mari rises and pulls her remaining knife, "I'll try to keep it distracted. You come at it from behind and while it's confused I'll go for the core, okay?"

"Works for me," Shinji replies, and Mari turns her attention back to the Angel. The two halves of its bisected lower arm have closed themselves and each grown a new hand, effectively giving the Angel three arms, and now is standing perfectly still, staring at Mari. She grins, and Unit-02 presses a button on the handle of the knife. The blade starts vibrating, unnoticeable to the naked eye exempt for a weak white glow coming from the blade. She flips it around in her hand a bit just to show off, and then charges the Angel. With remarkable speed for its size the Angel swings its still right arm at Mari, palm as large as her EVA's head, but she nimbly dodges beneath it and cuts at the arm as it passes above her, and this time with her knife powered up she cuts a neat and bloody scar through the Angel's hide. _Its skin is as flexible as leather, but it feels like cutting through steel._

Following up on her momentum while the Angel recovers from the wide arm swing Mari stabs the Angel in the abdomen, but then has to dodge away as it grabs for her with its two left-side arms; the first hand misses but the second gets a hold of Unit-02's right shoulder pylon. Unit-02 stumbles and the Angel yanks the red Evangelion back, but almost without thinking Mari hits a button on her controls and explosive charges detonate throughout the pylon, shattering it and freeing her. The Angel managed to shove her to the ground before-hand though, and now raises its trunk-like foot to cumbstomp Unit-02. Moving with lightning speed Mari drives her knife into the Angel's knee, the one supporting its weight, and with a shriek it stumbles and falls to one knee, the ground shaking under such tremendous weight. Mari shuffles to get to her feet, but before she can manage it the Angel grabs a hold of Unit-02's right leg with its two left hands.

And with seemingly no effort at all snaps the leg just below the knee with a crunch, Mari crying out in pain and shock as blood further reddens the ground, the Angel tearing the very muscle around the broken bone. Unable to maintain its balance Unit-02 falls flat on its ass before the Angel, while Mari puts every ounce of willpower she can muster into not abandoning her controls to nurse her screaming leg. To try to focus past the pain she begins to stab wildly at the Angel's two hands, tearing them up badly but the monstrosity doesn't seem to mind any longer. Its core is pushed out slightly and begins glowing an angry red, but at the last second Unit-01 jumps at the Angel from behind; Shinji grabs a firm hold of the Angel's shoulders and pulls, causing the energy beam to strike the mountainside above Mari.

The Angel reaches for Unit-01 that's still hanging onto its back, trying to pull the Angel down. It proves too strong for Shinji and manages to catch Unit-01's arm, promptly throwing the purple EVA over its back and slamming Unit-01 into the ground. Without wasting any time it then spins on Unit-02 still sitting on the ground, and the core flashes hot white. Unit-02 throws its arms up and the AT field powers to maximum as a response merely to Mari's thoughts being devoted singularly to protecting herself, and the field takes the brunt of the energy beam. Heat bleeds through the field and begin burning Unit-02's arms, making Mari's plugsuit glow angrily red. Her head begins to swim from painkillers in her leg and arms, but she's got so much adrenaline pumping through her that she still grins defiantly up against the Angel above her.

Then it all suddenly stops. The energy beam ends and the Angel rears back and screams in agony, and just as Mari opens her eyes again she can hear the loud crack of a gunshot, a slug the size of Unit-02's little finger strikes the Angel's right shoulder and blows it clean off. Seeing a perfect opportunity Mari retrieves her knife from the ground, forces Unit-02 up to its knees, and drives the knife into the writhing Angel's core. Sparks shower the red Evangelion for a few seconds before the Core cracks open, splitting in two. The Angel shudders, pitches forward onto its remaining left arm, and then its skin changes from olive green to grey as its movement slowly grind to a halt.

' **Blood pattern: Blue terminated'** reads on a display on Mari's left, and she breathes out. Behind the Angel in the far distance she can see Unit-00 lowering a ridiculously oversized sniper rifle, barrel smoking. Mari grins, and gives Rei a lazy thumbs-up, to which Unit-00 just stares back at Unit-02.

"Mari, are you alright?!" Misato suddenly shouts over the intercom. Mari shifts a little in her plug and takes a moment to take stock of Unit-02's and by extension her own injuries; several minor lacerations in the abdomen along with an aching lower chest, broken right leg, minor burns on her two upper arms. She snickers and coughs, testing her leg to make absolutely sure it hasn't actually been broken from high synch ratio, "Bit beaten up. It'd really hurt too, if that hadn't been so much fun."

Mari can hear several more or less nervous laughs from Misato's end, and she herself sighs, "Whatever you say, Mari. Shinji, help Unit-02 to the pad will you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Shinji replies, and walks over to Unit-02. Meanwhile Rei in Unit-00 has joined them on the field; she's kneeling down besides the seemingly petrified Angel, looking it over with Unit-00's enormous cyclopean eye. Yui pitches in now, "Rei, what are you doing?"

"The Angel is not completely inert," she replies at length. "There may be value in not immediately disposing of the remains."

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

Shinji wakes up to the sound of hinges complaining as a door is being opened, he must have dozed off staring out through the hospital window. It's Ryan who's visiting. He was at the hospital for a decent while as Mari was getting treated for her injuries both imaginary and real, but couldn't see her of course. Shinji himself didn't need any major treatment, just a bandage around his chest for an almost broken rib bone and a few bruises. Mari lies in a bed to Shinji's right, closer to the door, and Ryan only nods in Shinji's direction, which he returns, before sitting down in a chair next to Mari. She blinks and looks up at Ryan, smiling a wry smile, "And here the knight in shining armour comes." She's speaking in English, but Shinji knows the language well enough to understand. "Pfft," is Ryan response, also in English, shaking his head in disbelief, "I see your bones break easier than your sense of humour, fair maiden. You'll get no kisses from me, you missed your chance when Dr Mikaza patched you up."

Mari makes a disgusted grunt that requires no translation, and she shakes her head, "Thank God for that. I'd rather make out with Unit-02 than with him…" This statements prompts a near-horrified expression from Ryan, and Mari bursts into a fit of near-hysterical laughter upon seeing it. However she's cut short by her own bruised chest, and her laughter haphazardly ends with a cough.

"How long do you have to remain here?" asks Ryan, glancing over Mari as if trying to evaluate her wounds for himself, a difficult task since she's completely covered with a blanket apart from her arms which are lying on top of said blanket, and the burns she got from the fight were by no means severe enough to leave marks. "Oh, not for long," Mari replies with an approving smile, "Say what you will about NERV wasting the taxpayers' money on walls of guns that can't harm the Angels anyway, they know their stuff when it comes to medicine." Ryan nods, smiling back down at Mari, "Good to hear."

"Oh?" Mari blurts out, grinning amusedly, "I would've thought you'd want me _here_ for as long as possible so you get a go with Unit-02 yourself."

"Psch, yeah, funny," Ryan mumbles, his smile fading a little. Mari throws her arms up in a defensive albeit incredibly half-assed manner, still smiling, "Hey, I'm still alive aren't I?" He raises an eyebrow, smiling a humourless smile, "That's all you have to say about emerging from your first real fight against an Angel with a near-as-damnit broken leg and more bruises and cuts than John McClane?" With a sharp sigh Mari's head and arms fall limply back onto the bed, staring up into the ceiling, "You make it sound so very biblical, but you know what? It was actually deceptively similar to the training simulations, only more intense. And technically it was my second fight against an Angel. You're starting to sound like my mother, dude."

"Ryan throws his arms to his sides with a grin, "And maybe that's a good thing! God knows, quite literally, that you need it."

––

–

* * *

–

––

It took very little time for the lunch hall to refill after the alarms stopped blaring Kaji noticed. _I suppose routine might finally be sinking into these people. All the better for them, they have a lot of Angels to work through._ Then he spots Ritsuko coming up the stairs again, with a cup of coffee cupped between her hands. She spots him right away this time and trundles over to the table, seating herself with a heavy sigh, "Hope you enjoyed my cup of coffee."

Kaji nods with a pleased "Mhm!" and puts down the touch pad in his hand. "I was watching the battle play out…" He hitches a thumb at the giant monitor behind him, "They show real-time feeds of the battle on those things, did you know that?" He smiles a friendly smile, sounding as if he was discussing the weather. Ritsuko shakes her head with a look of not really caring, "No, I didn't. I hope you had fun watching my EVAs falling over one another trying to destroy the Angel."

"Oh I most definitely did. To be honest, I can't blame them for falling for an angel." Kaji smirks cheekily, chin leaning against his right-hand knuckles in his standard oh-so-interested and yet relaxed sort of way. "Very clever." Ritsuko replies, muffled by holding her cup so close to her lips. She takes a long sip of the coffee, taking a good few moments before finally putting the cup down on the table again, "I'm sure the Angel was just looking for a hug." She smiles an only mildly humorous smile.

"I thought," Kaji begins as he tilts his head the other way, leaning it against his left-hand knuckles now, "That they were incapable of emotion?" Ritsuko rolls her eyes, sighing, "Why do you always have to shoot me down when I actually make an effort to joke?"

"It's instinct! It happens so seldom I always naturally assume you're trying to trick me into saying something stupid." He smirks. Ritsuko shakes her head, raising her mug, "The problem with _that_ is that when you say something stupid it's impossible to tell whether _you_ are joking or not and trying to make _me_ look stupid."

"And I got you agaaaain," Kaji sing-songs, prompting Ritsuko to freeze for a moment and then put her cup down; the coffee is suddenly all to bitter. Kaji just grins, leaning backward with one arm over the backrest of his chair again, "But in all seriousness though, the Unit-02 pilot did well for her first _real_ fight, don't you think?" Ritsuko nods, glancing for a moment out through the windows that make up the wall on her left, "She did. Everyone performed well, as a matter of fact." Kaji can't help but look surprised, "Even Misato?"

A quiet moment passes where the two just stare at one another, Ritsuko incredulous and Kaji smiling innocently. "She sent Rei into battle at a crucial point," the blonde eventually admits, in an as plain voice as she can manage. Kaji leans forward again, left hand wrapped around his right, chin leaning against his knuckles, eyebrow curiously raised, "You two still haven't reconciled, have you?"

"You sound surprised," Ritsuko replies while idly stirring her coffee with a spoon, not meeting Kaji's gaze. Failing to catch her eyes, Kaji leans back again and glances out through the all glass wall to his right, "Don't you think it has gone on for a little too long, Ritz?" She shakes her head, "I don't know what you are talking about. There is nothing 'going on' between me and Misato. We work together without problem, and that's the end of it." She takes a sip of her coffee. Kaji sighs, shaking his head disapprovingly. "If it works it works, I suppose."

"It does!" Ritsuko presses, staring now across the table at Kaji, "We've defeated four Angels in the past months and there's been no problem between us."

"All right, all right!" Kaji raises his hands defensively, still with that confident little smile, "If it works, it works. And I'll agree that you've pulled through some stiff aggression here at NERV, you're surpassing the expectations of many." Ritsuko lets out a humourless little chuckle at that, shaking her head, "If that's what you've been hearing, a few people need to re-check their facts. We're all that stands between the Earth and a second apocalypse and we're equipped accordingly, don't they know that?"

"Many people still haven't accepted that we survived the first apocalypse at all, I think," Kaji replies with a somber tint to his usually calm but cheerful tone, "This is the same old one, after intermission."

"Sounds like a few too many people have googled 'diseases that cause stomach aches' and come to the conclusion that they have Crohn's Disease when in fact they just ate something that didn't agree with their stomachs." Ritsuko shakes her head contemptuously, but at Kaji's confused expression she continues, "The Angels are a great threat. They are essentially the perfect organism; able to sustain themselves forever without food, able to survive any environment without shelter, able to adapt to surmount any challenge and still remaining the same."

"And they have the AT field," Kaji finishes, nodding. Ritsuko however shakes her head, "It doesn't matter, though. The Evangelions can do almost everything an Angel can do, and we have three at NERV-3 now, with at least two more under construction, and we have the defender's advantage here. I think the doomsayers will be disappointed to see that we can handle the Angel threat just fine. Today's Angel was powerful, and we only suffered some damage to one Evangelion that will quickjly be fixed."

"But the EVAs aren't perfect though, are they?" Kaji says, more curious than condemning. Ritsuko shakes her head again, "Unfortunately not as perfect as they can be made, no. We still have the human element. That is the one real advantage the Angels have over us; that they have to rely on no one but themselves, be judged by no one but themselves." Kaji smiles, waving his hand dismissively while Ritsuko sips from her coffee, "Oh, I wasn't referring to that really, but the S2 engines. Isn't that a rather significant advantage for the Angels as well?"

"Not really," Ritsuko mumbles behind her cup, "We have the umbilical cables and emergency batteries to provide the Evangelions with power that should last them through any fight." Nodding, Kaji picks up the touch pad sitting on the table before him and gets up, "That's good enough for me. I have work to do, see you around Ritz."

––

–

* * *

–

––

"It's remarkably preserved…"

"Indeed. This specimen will at least partially compensate for the disaster at Bethany base."

The Angel's skin is coarse and stone-like to the touch but still yields like leather when prodded by drilling equipment or other heavy tools, and it bleeds all the same. The blood isn't coagulating, and has a much lighter red tint to it compared to previously when it fought the EVAs. It's currently sitting in one of the old cage rooms, an area separate from the cages currently housing the Evangelions. It was originally built for that purpose but a number if design flaws were revealed when they were nearly finished, so the current ones were built instead and the Old Cages are now part of a section of NERV comvemtionally not used.

It's not a perfect solution, not only since the Angel is a lot larger than an EVA, but after Unit-00 aided in restraining the limp Angel in one of the cages it was adequate. It has been affixed to the wall with the use of a grey bident that has been driven through its chest and into the wall behind it, as well as Evangelion-sized nails driven through its hands that are also affixed to the wall. Construction rigs with elevators have been erected almost like a web over the dead monstrosity. One of those elevators houses Gendo and Yui Ikari, taking them up to the umbilical bridge that in the new cages sit at about head height for an Evangelion, but it barely reaches to where the Angel's collarbone would be if it had one. Several dozen NERV scientists are working with extracting tissue samples from the Angel, blood samples and energy readings, but Gendo and Yui are more interested in the core. This dead Angel will not be as good as a live Angel kept in stasis like the one they had at Bethany base, but it's a sight better than nothing. The potential research gain is incredible.

The elevator grinds to a halt and deposits them onto the platform called the umbilical bridge that extends around the Angel's upper chest and beneath its shoulders, where Maya is standing by a desk full of instruments and papers along with a boy the same age as her, and an older man with balding grey hair and squinty eyes. The three look up as Yui and Gendo approach them, however only Maya rises from whatever she was bent down over on the desk and briskly walks up to meet them. "Doctor, Commander," she says for greeting along with a polite nod, keeping her hands clasped formally behind her back. Even she can't keep a triumphant little smirk off her lips as she nods over her shoulder towards the statue-like Angel behind her, "Well, what do you think?"

"It's very impressive," Yui says while Gendo remains quiet. Maya nods in agreement, and gestures up towards the Angel's cracked core. The crack starts at the core's top and runs down and disappears beneath the tissue covering the core, where it seems a yellow liquid is gathering and slowly dripping down onto the floor almost one hundred metres down. Maya seems to be struggling to hide her excitement as she explains what they are looking at, look up there. That, sir and ma'am, is LCL. We have checked four times just to be sure; it's the exact same substance we use in our entry plugs, and it's leaking from the Core centre."

A wide smile spreads over Yui's face, even Gendo smiles as they look up at the cracked red sphere, digesting this revelation. Gendo adjusts his glasses and then says, "Well, it seems like Heaven does exists after all."

"Yes," Yui continues, "She was right."

"But so was SEELE," Gendo says, his countenance becoming rather serious suddenly, "They'll inquire about our findings here and we can't keep this discovery from them. Our plans will have to be accelerated."

"But we can't make the Angels come here as we choose," Yui protests, looking up at Gendo. "Perhaps we should do nothing different? SEELE may become suspicious otherwise." Gendo only shakes his head however, "No, they won't suspect anything. She never told them about her visions, and neither did I. They can couple our activities together with nothing."

Then an alarm starts blaring throughout the cage. Maya had returned to the table to let Yui and Gendo talk in privacy, but now she spins on her heel again, eyes wide, and shouts "What's going on?!" upwards to the people working at the tops of the various construction rigs. One of them leans down over the railings and shouts back down, "The Core is destabilizing! We're reading a complete collapse of the primary REM field!" Understanding strikes Yui like a physical blow, "It's a Cherubimic manifestation! Everyone move away from the core now!"

There's a desperate scramble all over as people seek to distance themselves from the broken Core, which has begun to glow faintly. A dull thud like a distant thunderclap goes through the cage, followed by a high-pitched crashing; when Yui looks up the Core has been completely bisected, and explodes as she lays her eyes upon it. Blood sprays all over the middle of the umbilical bridge, and only a split second later the Angel's body warps grotesquely and then explodes as well. The entire cage is showered with blood and the torrent takes several people with it down the hundred meter drop below, their screams blotted out by the thunder of a waterfall of blood crashing upon the metal construction around them.

It all happens and has ended within the space of five seconds, but to Yui it feels like it all happened at a finger snap. One second there's that sound like breaking glass and then she's sitting down, red mist clouding her vision. She groans as she tries to rise, her spine protesting loudly and painfully to the movement; she was pushed hard against the railing by the torrent of blood and it feels like it's snapped in two. She is, of course, not someone who hurts herself a lot. She blinks and opens her eyes, against what she realizes a moment too late would be her best judgement; she has to resist the urge to throw up at seeing and more importantly smelling the blood covering the walls around her, covering the bridge and soaking her clothes. Her hands are crimson red and for a moment she flails her head around like a wild animal who only desires escape, on the point of hyperventulation. However, within the monocoloured environment she suddenly spots a shape sitting propped up against a turned-over table, hands slowly moving over the floor as if in need of reassurance it's there. It's Maya, and Yui is immediately snapped back to her senses. She makes her way over to the sitting junior technician whilst taking care not so fall on the slippery metal floor, kneeling down next to the young woman. Her hands are shaking visibly, her eyes staring emptily out in front of her as if Yui didn't exist.

 _Oh no..._ Yui wraps her arms around Maya, whispering comforting words and phrases into her ear, trying to sooth the young woman. Hugging someone drenched in something as wet and slick as blood as well as the stench of it all churns Yui's guts around good and well, and she flinches as someone puts a hand on her shoulder. Looking up she sees gendo standing there, just as red as her and without his glasses. His expression is rather grim and betraying a good bit of residual shock with his gritted teeth and wide eyes, like he's still in fight-or-flight mode. "Are you all right?" he asks, a little louder than usual. Yui simply nods for confirmation and then turns to look into Maya's frozen expression, "Maya's gone into shock, she needs to see a doctor."

Gendo nods, slowly he seems to be regaining his calm, "I see. I don't suppose we had someone on watch in the old control rooms?" He surveys the umbilical bridge and the various contruction platforms, and someone suddenly shouts something about being alright from below, Yui can't tell exactly, and gendo replies affirmatively. Yui waves her hand down the umbilical bridge, "Go see if anyone else is hurt, I need to tend to Maya."

Yui wraps her arms around Maya again, who has begun to erradically turn her head every which way and mumble to herself; Yui simply keeps her in a tight embrace and does her best to sooth the girl while voices start filling the old cage, and after a few minutes help arrives with Misato at the head.

The Angel is completely gone, everything has been stained red, and at least half a dozen bodies are floating in the shallow pool of blood that's formed down on the floor way below. Even Misato doesn't seem to be able to hide her own shock at the whole scene, and only stares in disbelief at Yui as she gingerly hands the now quietly weeping Maya over to Makato and a physician. The two look eachother in the eye. Misato evidently wants some sort of explanation judging by her expression, but Yui just shrugs, dumbstruck.

 _That was close..._ Kaji thinks to himself where he stands by a corner, observing the whole spectacle.

 **End of chapter 10.**


	12. The Beast (ch 11, part 1)

Author's note.

Yes, it's back! Sort of. -Ish. It's back as a token tribute to all of you reading this thing, just as a promise that I haven't forgotten this story! I will finish it, so help me God! Adam, Lilith, Yui, whomever! So yes, you're getting this here, and I might even give you the follow-up chapter pretty soon because I have a part of it already written as well. You'll note as well that I've decided to reduce the length of my chapters, after experience in other stories I've written. I just struggle too hard to squeeze 60k words worth of content into one chapter :/ But yes, here you go as I said! Hope you enjoy and forgive me for spending time on other stuff, and Please do leave a review if you like this, it really helps my motivation to continue this particular story.

End of author's note.

 **Chapter 11: The beast.**

The entry plug hums quietly to him, and the warm LCL combined with the sparse illumination is making Shinji rather sleepy. He'd love to catch some shut-eye right now, but he has jokingly been threatened with an electric shock if he should fall asleep; he trusts Yui to not make good on that threat but not Ritsuko, so currently he's sitting counting bubbles float up from the bottom of the plug to keep himself stimulated.

They are holding a synchronization test in a facility designed for the purpose, located somewhere deep within the bowels of the NERV complex. It's a rectangular room easily large enough to fit a two-storey house family house for five, completely featureless exempt for two enormous hatches in the ceiling and one of the long walls where four entry plugs are rowed up, fastened to a socket in the LCL-covered floor and held in place by a robotic holding arm. There's room for a fifth, but that socket is unoccupied.

The majority of the short wall to Shinji's left is made up of a window behind which about a dozen people are sitting behind rows of large computer consoles. Yui and Ritsuko are pacing around the room like teachers during exam, occasionally exchanging a word or two or glancing through the glass towards the entry plugs, seemingly having about as much fun as the four pilots. _I don't understand these synchronization tests. I mean, what are they good for anyway? Keeping an eye on how well we synchronize with the EVAs? How can that be so important, it's just a matter of synchronizing or not synchronizing right?_

He shrugs to himself. They had been quite adamant about holding the tests at regular and close intervals, three times a week, so Shinji will just have to like the situation. He turns to the left, to Mari's plug; she's humming to herself, barely audible over the intercom. How she can keep herself occupied just humming for an entire hour, he wish he knew. _It's been so much training of late, I've barely been to school at all… I wonder what Toji, Hiari and Kensuke think…_

He notices sudden movement in the corner of his right eye, and turn to see Yui and Ritsuko rush over to the console Shigeru is occupying, talking to him and each other, looking both excited, confused and a little worried. Rei seems to have noticed it too -how she managed that sitting with her eyes closed he couldn't say- and calmly inquires, "Is something the matter, Miss Ikari?"

Yui snaps her head up, hesitates for a moment, and then exchanges a quick word with Ritsuko before walking over to Maya's station, bending down over the mic at the console. "Pilots, we have an odd and potentially slightly awkward situation at our hands. We have located an Angel, but not in the way you might think. We've found what we believe to be an Angel egg at the bottom of a volcano."

A clutter of alarmed and confused questions rise from the pilots, all but Rei obviously, but Yui waves a hand dismiss their questions, "We're ending the synch test right now, you all have to get to your EVAs immediately. Our data on this Angel is sketchy at best, and figuring out how to deal with the situation could take a while; the Angel might hatch before then. Come on, let's go!"

* * *

Now sitting in Unit-01's entry plug instead, Shinji joins the channel connecting the three EVAs to the cell phones of Misato and Ritsuko, as well as Shigeru, Maya and Makato almost little like a Skype call. "We're moving swiftly, pilots," Misato begins, "A modular command building is being prepared to be transported over to the volcano mouth, I want you three on site when we get there. If the Angel so much as sneezes you report it and get ready for combat. We are going to try and capture it alive, but we afford to take chances here."

Ritsuko follows up, "In order to retrieve the Angel one of you will equip your EVA with a specially-designed suit that can withstand the heat and pressure of being submerged in lava. The suit is being transported by helicopter to the site as we speak but will most likely be the last to arrive at the site."

"Right," Shinji replies, echoed by Mari. Then Ryan comes into the conversation: he's sitting in Unit-02's entry plug with Mari, the seat is designed to accommodate a passenger for the exact purpose of transporting both primary and secondary pilot around in the EVA. "How did you discover the Angel in the first place, ma'am?"

"A geological research team were analysing the volcano," replies Ritsuko, "and since all data collected in the region is filtered through the MAGI we were able to detect some faint energy readings that are indicative of Angels."

"Is the volcano unstable?" Rei asks, in her usual calm tone. Ritsuko replies, "No, not as far as we know. There are two pockets filled with lava and gas beneath the mountain, one which is enclosed and one with is open to the surface; this is the one the Angel is located in. We should have no worries with regards to disturbing it."

"What about the Angel itself?" Shinji can't help but ask. "We don't think there's any risk of it awakening on us," says Misato," but you can never be too careful. There's no way it can surprise us from down there, so once you've arrived at the site be sure to at least stick close to your EVAs, and have one of you sit watch with your scanning equipment online, alright?"

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

A shallow, crater-like depression surrounds the pit that Ritsuko had mentioned, made out of brittle charred rock and sand. Half of the crater is surrounded by sparse forest, the other half slowly goes over to a steep, rocky slope that falls down several hundred metres, progressively flattens out, and ends in a patch of green meadows before the outskirts of Tokyo-3 start popping up. You could easily fill four football fields within the depression, and the pit itself is wide enough for a relatively large house to fit inside, uneven and several hundred metres deep until you reach the sluggish, red-hot lava.

The Evangelions are positioned around the pit, on their knees and inactive for the moment. Rei is sitting on top of Unit-00's helmet, cross-legged, Shinji is standing by the fence erected around the volcano mouth and Mari and Ryan are nowhere to be seen. The little convoy consisting of three armoured cars and a wheeled tank pull up and stop at the edge of the clearing, and the majority of the senior NERV staff exit the vehicles; only Gendo and Yui remained at HQ.

Most of them make their way directly to the command module that was put down at the edge of the woods by VTOL a little earlier, a mostly featureless metal box the rough size of an apartment. Misato however decides to walk over to where Shinji is sitting, casually leaning herself against the -to her- chest height metal fence, "Fancy a swim?"

Shinji chuckles softly at the remark, to Misato's mild surprise; he's never seemed to have much over for humour. "Not without Unit-01, Misato," he replies and turns his head back forward, tapping the fence railing idly, "Is it weird that I'm genuinely curious about what Ritsuko and the others can find out if we manage to get the Angel up for study?" It's Misato's time to chuckle now, and she shakes her head, "Nah, not really. Curiosity doesn't kill cats as often as some would have you believe. I had thought you'd just want rid of it though, since you're the one who has to get up there and fight it if we mess up." Misato allows herself a moment's smug grin at Shinji's downcast expression, and pats him on the back, "Whatever floats your boat, Shinji. Where are Mari and Ryan, by the way?"

"Mari's still in the plug for some reason," he replies with a thumb hitched over his shoulder at the kneeling Unit-02, "Rei said she's keeping an eye on the Angel, so it can't be that. Ryan went into the woods, he said he'd stay within earshot." Misato makes a small frown and looks up towards Unit-02; indeed the plug systems are active, the EVA's top pair of eyes are glowing faintly green. "Well, carry on Shinji, and do call me if something comes crawling out of that hole will ya'?" Misato pushes off the fence with Shinji's only moderately amused acknowledgement behind her and walks up to stand beneath Unit-02's giant face, and she taps her knuckles against its foot; it seems enough to draw attention to herself from Mari, as the Evangelion's head tilts to the side very slightly and the speaker activates, "C'mon Misato, can't a girl catch some Z's around here?"

Misato shakes her head in amused disbelief and crosses her arms above her chest, "Sleeping in there? What happened to 'Time to face the day'?"

"Would you stop bringing that up?" Mari replies, outraged but not offended, and Misato can't help but chuckle. "Not any time soon, Mari. Just wanted to make sure I know where I have my Evangelion pilots in case the Angel becomes tricky."

"Fair enough," Mari replies, "Well, you have me here. I'll go back to napping now if you don't mind, hm?"

Misato sighs and shakes her head, arms falling to her side, "Alright, lazy. I'd thought you would be up and running with excitement. Take the chance to be social on the job." She smirks at the displeased and reluctant groaning sound coming from Unit-02 and how it very slowly shakes its head, the ultra-low synch ratio barely getting the EVA moving, "I much prefer sleeping on the job, to be honest," Mari replies, "EVA is enough company. Preach it to Rei instead."

Misato's shoulders slump as she looks over to Unit-00, with the blue-haired girl sitting on top of the Evangelion's helmet. _How did she even get up there?_ She runs a hand through her dark purple fringe, sighing, "I guess I should. Has she been sitting up there the whole time?"

"Yup," Mari says dryly. Misato exhales sharply through the nose, something akin to a sigh, and nods, "Gotcha. Sleep tight, lazy. Don't come complaining to me later if the Angel shows up and Shinji steals all your glory defeating it." She turns on her heel and sets her pace towards Unit-00, looking up to where she from this angle only can see Rei's head on top of the Evangelion's helmet. She stops at the edge of the EVA's shadow, calling up, "Rei, what are you doing up there all by yourself?!"

She seems startled judging by the way her head snaps up, and after a moment the blue-haired girl comes looking down over the edge in what Misato can only call a very precarious position and calls back down, barely loud enough to be audible, "Reading, Misato. Why?"

"Don't you think you have better things to do than to sit on top of your Evangelion all day reading when you could come down and actually be social for once?"

Rei's reply doesn't come instantly. "There is no time for that; I am monitoring sensor readings."

"That's an excuse, Rei, and you know it just as well as I."

"Misato, are you really sure this is a good time?"

Misato opens her mouth to argue, but closes it again when she realizes that Rei may have a point; screaming at the top of her lungs up at someone who has to scream on top of her lungs to reply isn't the best way to hold a conversation. She makes a mental note of catching Rei at a better time and instead says, "Fine. On another note, we've decided Unit-00 is going down in the pressure suit when we're ready to retrieve the Angel egg. The moment the suit and hoisting equipment shows up we are sending you down there so be ready, okay?"

– –

–

* * *

–

– –

Rei gives the thumbs-up, and she shifts a little in the seat as Unit-00 is lowered down towards the fiery red surface of the magma. Between the immense and bulky pressure suit Unit-00 is wearing and the capture equipment it's carrying she can barely move the EVA at all, and it's making her feel uncomfortable. She feels vulnerable like this, exposed. _Once again I have to relinquish my arms to another and trust in that 'it will be fine'._

She reaches the lava surface and slowly sinks in it, the sluggish liquid only grudgingly admitting the bulky Eva below the surface. Rei immediately feels the heat rising inside the entry plug and a protesting creak from the suit Unit-00 is wearing, but the warmth actually produces a smile on Rei's lips: it reminds her of the tube down in Terminal Dogma, a place deep down in the Earth that is naturally much hotter than on the surface.

The intercom bleeps to life, it's Misato, "Rei, how are you doing?"

"All systems are functioning properly, ma'am. I am descending towards the target at a rate of two feet per second; please confirm, over." She taps a button on her right handle which brings up a holo-screen and navigates to the advanced menu of Unit-00's sensor inputs. The magma outside has reduced her vision to almost zero so she has to rely upon special radars effectively capable of scanning through rock in order to see at all.

"Confirmed, Unit-00," Akagi replies, "Descending at a rate of two feet per second. You may accelerate to four feet per second, lava density isn't providing quite as great a hinder to your progress as assumed, over."

"Copy that, accelerating my descent." Rei opens a menu to her left and pulls a slider slightly to the right, "Expect to have target on scanners in a moment, over."

"Very good, Rei," says Misato, "We will keep this channel open in case there are any issues, as well as open to Unit-01 and 02. Keep close tabs on your suit, if it breaks we won't be able to retrieve you fast, over."

"Roger that, ma'am," Rei confirms, and turns back to the scanner data. Nothing. She nods to herself and leans back in the plug seat, toggling the scanner to raise an alarm is any new readings are measured, and closes her eyes. There hasn't been a lot of time to go down to Terminal Dogma to meditate lately, so this will have to do. She relaxes and gives herself fully to the warm LCL in the plug, relaxing until she feels almost disembodied from both her own body and the plug she sits in.

 _I wish I understood why Misato is so persistent with me socializing with the other pilots… When I go to them all they talk about is school and celebrities and the weather, and whenever I go to Misato to ask why it should matter to me she says that 'friendship is invaluable', how it can help you through any hardship and difficult time as well as being good to have when you are bored… She always says the same thing. If that's all there is to it then it really feels like I can spent my time better on more important things. It makes me wonder, though, if there's something more to it that Misato isn't mentioning._

Just then the scanner starts giving off pings, and the screen shows a large oval object down below Unit-00. _There you are._ "Command, I have located the target. Correct depth but it appears both larger and denser than initial scans, over."

A moment goes by where Rei can hear several voices arguing over at the command base module, and then Misato's voice comes through the intercom, "Rei, accelerate to six feet per second. If the target is growing we may not have as much time as we had wanted." While Rei confirms and does as she's instructed Mari breaks into the conversation, "Are you sure you didn't just get a bad reading the first time around, Misato?"

"It's possible, sure-" Misato begins, but is interrupted by a slightly more vehement Ritsuko, "We cannot take the chance, Mari. If the Angel is growing at such a rate that the difference is noticeable in just a few hours it means that in a worst-case-scenario it may awaken at any moment!"

"But you're sending Rei down into lava!" Shinji injects, exasperated, "Isn't the suit and the hoist strained enough without increasing the speed of her descent further?"

"Listen, you! Risks are a part of the job and Rei knows that a lot better than either of you!" Misato is growing heated as well, to which Mari replies, "Oh yeah, sure, I'll just ask Rei about that real quick-"

"Please, silence," Rei snaps, managing somehow to sound calm as well as sharp and commanding all at once, "I can hear something…" Everyone have gone dead silent and there's now a quite palpable tension over the intercom, not that Rei pays any attention to it; she had just heard a noise, something akin to female choir song, from outside the EVA. Now that she's listening to it however she can't hear it anymore, and decides it was just some trick of the Vessel. "…Pardon me, never mind. I am retrieving the target now, over." She lowers the cage down over the egg, navigating just by her scanner, and taps a button on her left-hand controls: the cage activates and traps the egg in a rectangular forcefield. "Target acquired, proceeding to-"

"This next challenge should be fairly straight-forward for NERV. Hopefully they'll be able to compensate for their earlier… Failure, in keeping a functional specimen for research."

"Yes. Finding the Angel down in the volcano went just as we predicted, and hopefully now we can jump ahead of our schedule. We need every advantage we can get for later."

"I think we can trust Gendo to handle things."

"Right. So guys, I heard about this thing called Murphy's Law earlier today…"

–

* * *

–

Images flash by her eyes and strange voices block out all other sound. She sees an endless amber ocean with a featureless red sky, and instead of a sun there hangs up in that sky a perfect black sphere with stripes of white in random patterns, and wherever Rei turns her eyes two white bands marks the horizon, its strings interwoven like the metal links on a necklace. She hears a feminine voice mumbling something and the words seem to distort the image of this world, and suddenly the red sky and black/white sun is replaced by a star-filled heaven both directly above and below her, the ocean turning translucent yet everything still seem to have that amber tint to it.

In the far distance she can see three shapes; a boy with ashen hair and a lean face standing in front of a glowing white shape, shaped vaguely like an EVA exempt for the lack of a throat and the black disc in its solar plexus region, and above these hangs something very similar to a bird, also glowing. She hears a voice again, male this time but still unintelligible, the vision distorts and disjointed images of crosses of energy, crimson red halos and white wings rising above an inferno flashes before her mind, and for a final moment she sees Tokyo-3, buried in grey ash, corpses burnt unrecognizable stacked high in the streets-

-She's back in her entry plug, everything is normal. Then she hears a sound, soft and dull and reminiscent of a heartbeat coming from outside. She can more feel than hear it this time, through lava and metal and the Evangelion's muscles. Then there's a terrible moaning sound like a crying child but darker and horribly distorted, and the cage starts shaking and twisting as if something inside was making a determined effort to get out. A red light start flashing next to Rei and a warning pop-up says that the cage's containment system is being stressed to its limits and won't be able to maintain integrity. Tight-lipped Rei lets go of the cage, and as the power batteries fail and the containment field disappears the cage disintegrates in the lava. Her scanners still gives her an echo down below her that begins to move erratically, and the AT field gauges spike up. Whatever's down there is not happy.

"Unit-00, report!" Misato shouts over the alarmed voices in the background, "What's going on?!" Rei begins keying in commands into the various screens before her in order to begin ascending from the lava and boot her EVA up into fighting condition, "The Angel is awake, it sensed my presence. The cage has been abandoned and I am ascending; I suggest we prepare to defend ourselves, ma'am."

"What about you, Rei?" Shinji injects, again, "Will you be alright? You can't defend yourself!"

"We'll just have to find out, do we not?" Re retorts, irritated at being constantly interrupted, and discards the last of the cage equipment to lighten herself a little, and more importantly to free unit-00's hands. "The Angel is keeping its distance for now, I may be able to retreat unharmed."

Then Unit-00 suddenly trembles and the pressure suit whines and complains, alarms going off all over Rei's screen: something has attached itself to her. The lava is too thick to see through, but her AT field gauges tell a clear tale:

 **EXTERNAL AT FIELD: BLOOD TYPE BLUE**

 **FIELD SOURCE: 8TH ANGEL CORE**

 **EXTREME PROXIMITY**

–

* * *

–

The bulbous form of Unit-00 emerges from the pit, steaming and sizzling. Surgical charges detonate as Rei is set down and the suit falls off her to lay in a pile around Unit-00's feet; the EVA rolls its shoulders while the other two EVAs gather around. "What happened down there?" the holographic display of Shinj's face asks, being projected by an emitter at the front of Unit-01's face.

"The Angel grabbed onto me, I had to cut my coolant pump line and spray the Angel with it in order to make it let me go. I believe I managed to make it angry moreso than anything else, however."

Misato breaks in to the conversation at this point. "Cut the chatter, pilots, and get ready! We're having trouble locating the exact position of the Angel, but it seems fair to assume it'll emerge at any moment. Prepare to-"

She is interrupted at this point by the ground shaking, giving off a dull rumbling sound. There's perfect silence for a few moments, and then the ground shakes again, more violently this time. Now it's Maya that speaks up, and if she does so without relaying the info to Ritsuko first you know things are about to get bad, "The Angel is destabilizing the volcano! According to the MAGI there's an eruption imminent!"

This causes even Rei to blurt out a "What?!", but a third tremor cuts any further disbelief short. "How is it doing that?!" Shinji asks, audibly distressed, to which Ritsuko replies, "We don't know! It's possible it's able to increase the pressure on the lava and gas reserves below either with its AT field or radiating energy from its S2 engine."

"Can we take this later, Shinji?" Mari snaps at Unit-01, and then turns to the command module to Unit-02's right; people are already running out of the doors and into the various vehicles, "How do we do this, Misato?"

"If the volcano's gonna blow then the city will be in danger, its defences won't be able to deploy in time," Misato replies, "We were counting on a natural eruption that would give us more time to prepare, not something like this. EVAs, you need to head down the slope and use your combined AT fields to block off whatever comes pouring out of the mouth here, you all got that? I'll call for the JSSDF and see about stalling the Angel until the worst of the eruption has passed."

The three pilots respond in the affirmative, and the command module is abandoned altogether. Mari can see Misato and the others running out and entering the last of the armoured cars that then gun it into the woods and down the forested side of the mountain. Rei takes the lead as the EVAs in turn head to the slope on the other side, cautiously going over the edge and sliding down the mountainside. In their wake the mountain is suddenly rocked by an explosion whose heat and shockwave washes over the EVAs as they reach the bottom. Debris rain down over them, pebbles and rocks and human-sized boulders; a plume of dark grey dust is rising into the sky, the bottom glowing hot red. A warmth starts rolling down the slope, along with a fiery red glow coming from beyond the edge of the crater up on the ledge; then with a rumble a greyish black cloud comes rushing over the ledge, tall enough to reach an EVA's waist.

"It's a pyroclastic flow!" Rei shouts, "Deploy your AT fields, if it reaches the city everyone in it will die!" Only hasty nods are exchanged, the urgency in Rei's voice well understood, and the three Evangelions simultaneously spread their hands apart, palm outwards, and as one they announce "AT field, max power!" The air in front of the Evangelions blur and then a golden aura surround them all for a split second before the fields fully manifest, spreading from their palms to create a wide wall of golden light. Mari looks up towards the oncoming storm, racing down the slope many times faster than a car ever could. She grits her teeth and braces for the impact; even when Unit-02's AT field is up fully and the outside falls out of memory she can feel the tremors in the ground through how her EVA shakes, and even though she's trained piloting an Evangelion like this she's never experienced how it's like under extreme pressure.

The massive cloud of stone and superheated gas impact against their AT fields with an explosive crashing sound, Unit-02's feet digging grooves in the ground as it pushes back against the brutal force of the flow. "We have to re-direct it or else it will overwhelm us," Mari gets out, finding it hard to speak under the duress; she imagines this must be a little like how Rei felt during the battle against the 5th Angel back in Tokyo-3. She feels calm still, but her arms and legs ache. Rei is first to reply, "Stand by, I will shift my position." Mari glances to her left; the right half of her field of view is blacked out from the pyroclastic cloud bearing down upon their AT fields, but she can see Unit-00 taking one step back and tilting its field slightly, so the flow can escape into the ocean.

Then Mari hears an alarm, and she looks to her right.

 **EXTERNAL AT FIELD: BLOOD TYPE BLUE**

 **FIELD SOURCE: 8TH ANGEL CORE**

 **APPROACHING FAST**

 _Fuck, the Angel!_ Is all Mari can think before she hears Shinji scream, in surprise rather than pain, and as she looks to her left again she sees how something akin to the skull of a dog but with three fleshy mandibles instead of a jaw reach out from _within_ the pyroclastic flow, reaching through Unit-01's AT field and grabbing the purple EVA by the head in its jaw; a second later Unit-01 has disappeared within the dark grey cloud, the Angel gone with it. Mari and Rei both shout his name through the intercom, but only get static in response.

Rei's and Mari's AT fields spread further to compensate for the loss of Unit-01 but Mari can feel how her strength begins to wane. Dust and rock starts piling up against the AT field, lying there like weights as the flow continues to press against the two remaining EVAs. Mari sighs hoarsely, and leans back in the entry plug seat. _Can't do anything but wait for the Angel to come for me or Rei now… I think we're done for this time._

But then an alarm starts blaring again, same as before, and Mari glances to her right expecting that the Angel is coming for her next but the message goes as follows:

 **CHANGED SENSOR VALUES**

 **EXTERNAL AT FIELD: BLOOD TYPE orange/4subjYUIr/**

 **FIELD SOURCE: EVANGELION UNIT-01 CORE**

 **WARNING: PRIMARY NEUROGRAPH ANOMALY**

 **SIGNAL LOCK FAILURE. _BERSERKER MAINFESTATION IMMINENT_**

End of chapter 11.


	13. The Beast (ch 11, part 2)

**Chapter 11: The beast, part 2.**

A force strikes Mari and shoves her off her feet, tossing her to the ground with a heavy crunch upon the grassy plain, breaking the earth apart. Grey clouds of hot dust and sand cloud her vision, weigh down her chest and clog her throat; she wants to cough but her jaw is held firmly shut, she wants to rub her eyes but her hands cannot reach them, scratching upon some cold and invisible barrier covering her face-

-And suddenly she's back in her entry plug, hyperventilating and bleeding from nose and eyes which clouds the LCL in front of her face with a crimson red mist. She bites her lower lip and with great mental effort tears her shaking hands away from the butterfly controls; as if flipping a switch her body calms down and she regains control of her muscles. She reaches up to the A10 connectors on top of her head, letting out a hoarse and whimpering gasp as she tears them off which severs the last of her synchronization with Unit-02, and she can finally breathe out.

 _My AT field is down…_ is the first real thought that crosses her mind, just as she hears a little alarm beeping to her left. Her neck hurts too much for her to want to turn her head so she glances best she can; several displays are open, most of them graphs displaying sensor data history. As she reads them over a frown slowly grows on her face.

Internal AT field status:

17:23 – Raised from standard combat strength of 150 000 000 Fd units to 3 000 000 000 Fd units

17:24 – Strained from high-energy kinetic impact and heat

17:26 – Assaulted by 1 020 000 000 000 000 Fd units strong AT field

17:26 – Lowered from 3 000 000 000 Fd units to sub-ambient 6 000 Fd units

Current: N/A (Evangelion unit inactive)

Synch status:

17:23 – 63% raised to 89%

17:26 – 89% momentary spike to 305%

Current: N/A (Evangelion unit inactive)

Mari blinks at the numbers, and quickly scrambles to put on the A10 connector again and boot up Unit-02. Whatever's going on outside she can't afford to miss it. Synching up again greets her with a feeling like someone suddenly took a swing at her head with an iron pipe, but she grits her teeth and womans through it; when the EVA's systems finally get their act together and the viewscreen clears, she's almost blinded. Unit-01 hangs nearly a hundred meters up in the air with a pure golden aura surrounding it, contrasted by its green and purple headlights. She glances at another graph on her left, labelled _External AT field(s) status_. It's reading off Unit-01's effective AT field strength at 1 020 000 000 000 000 Fd units.

Just then a piercing, shrill and animalistic screech goes through the warm evening air and out of the grey dust cloud surrounding everything a shape leaps, spindly and huge; its four legs, impossibly long and spider-like, wrap around Unit-01 and dig into its back. From each end of its oval body a long, snake-esque neck protrudes, each ending in a head with four eyes each and large and sharp-looking mandibles. The Angel looks at Unit-01 with both its heads and then there's a flash of while light so bright that Mari has to cover her eyes; a wave of heat washes over her, and once she lowers her arms to look again she can see Unit-01 and the Angel tangling in the air above.

Unit-01 brings down its fist on the angel's central body and its AT field shatters like the thinnest of glass; Unit-01 takes a firm hold of the sinewy body and tears, trying to rip the Angel in two, but being a creature that can thrive on being submerged in lava for extended periods of time its skin seems a tad too resilient. The Angel responds by manifesting a great halo above and with its legs dug into Unit-01's back it shoots almost a kilometre up into the air, carrying the EVA beneath it. But suddenly Unit-01 twists itself out of the Angel's grip, grabs its central body and throws it back into the ground, pushing the Angel into the mountainside with a multi-layered offensive AT field that it's using as a sledgehammer.

Mari tears her eyes off the titanic struggle as she slowly crawling to a kneeling position, surveying the battlefield; the pyroclastic flow has mostly died off, all that's left of it is a heavy dark grey fog that the augmented-reality optical sensors Unit-02 is equipped with can easily filter out. After a moment she spots Unit-00 on the ground a few hundred metres away, and on aching legs Mari forces Unit-02 to get moving, stumbling to the white Evangelion's side. "Rei?!" she shouts over the noise of the battle behind her, shaking Unit-00. The EVA's speaker kicks in and she can hear Rei's raspy breathing on the other end, "Mari..? What..?"

"We're in code: SNAFU here, Rei. I'll try to get you out of the line of fire, one sec…" Mari blinks out another little wisp of blood from her eyes and reaches to pick Unit-00 up when Rei shouts with surprising vigour "Watch out!" and points over Mari's shoulder; just as she looks up the sky is lit by a blast of energy striking Unit-01's AT field, sending deflected beams that set the very air on fire every which way like a stroboscope. Mari throws her hands up to cover Rei and herself, doing what she can to get an effective AT field up in time.

–

Mari makes an attempt to get up from her lying position, but her limps ache too much to comply. To her left Unit-00 lies on the ground, inactive. Deciding she's in no shape to move Unit-02 for the moment she instead slowly cranes her head over to the right, booting up the long-range comm system, at which point she's instantly assaulted by Misato's worried voice, "Come in, either of you! Report!"

"I'm here!" Mari blurts out. She blinks, her mind is clouded and just thinking of something to say is almost painful, "Mari here! I, uh… Yes, ma'am?"

"Thank god," Misato says, audibly relieved, "What the hell is going on? All three of you suddenly went dark, and we're getting worrying reports from NERV."

"I was hit by an AT field so fucking powerful it knocked mine out completely… I'm still a little groggy, six thousand Fd's was not very pleasant…"

"Wait, are you alright?" Ryan breaks in. He got into the cars along with the rest when they evacuated, if Mari remembers correctly. "Yeah, yeah, great…" she grumbles in reply.

"Mari, please!" Ritsuko's voice this time. "What is Unit-01's status?!"

She blinks again and glances out towards the two fighting titans. They're both obscured by a huge cloud of grey and brown dust, flashes and beams of energy going every which way. "Unstoppable force meets immovable object. Unit-01 has gone berserk, ma'am, but it seems the Angel's one tough S.O.B." Synchronizing has suddenly made her feel very sick, so she can't be arsed to be dramatic about the fact that one of Earth's most dangerous beings is currently off the leash out there.

Mari receives a reply of some kind but she fails to copy; she's blasted with energy and force as she can hear a tremendous explosion go off outside, and her already tenuous grip of consciousness slips almost altogether. Just before all goes black she looks up to see a crucifix of energy reach into the evening sky, profiling Unit-01 as it descends towards her. It kneels besides her and Mari could have sworn she saw not Unit-01's green and purple armoured face but the countenance of a beautiful young woman with eyes and hair just like Shinji's.

– –

–

–

–

– –

"I like to say that once is a fluke, but now it's happened twice during the course of only a month or two! The circumstances are exactly the same as well: this awakening was no coincidence above that the Angel randomly decided to go for Unit-01 first."

"Well, Colonel, what do you intend to do about it?"

Misato leans forward with her hands on the table, "You know damn well what I'll do. I'm pulling Unit-01 from frontline service until _your_ division finds a way to deal with this!"

"Are you insane?!" Ristuko shoots out of her chair, staring Misato down, "You cannot do that! We need each of the Evangelions available to fight the Angels at all times, you of all people should recognize that!"

"I of all people should know?!" the purple-haired says and pushes off the table, straightening her back, "You are the one who should know the consequences if Unit-01 doesn't decide to play nice and shut down after it destroys an Angel!"

"I know the consequences full well but I don't think these incidents warrant taking the EVA off battle duty!" Ritsuko retorts, "This was never going to be a safe operation, Misato, have you suddenly lost the ability to deal with that?"

"That is just what I _am_ _doing_ , Ritz, you just think I've lost it because I disagree with you!" the purple-head almost growls out, nostrils flaring and eyes glaring. The latter's relatively calm expression sours somewhat, "Hmpf. You've always been perfectly capable of making the tough calls, Misato, unless the person in question is someone you care for." Misato's eyes widen in shocked outrage, hands balling into fists, and Ritsuko continues, "First your father and now Shinji! Your love turns you blinder than a bat!"

"No!" Misato barks at Ritsuko, raising an accusing index finger to point at the blonde, "Don't you dare bring my dad into this, his memory has suffered enough because of you! I will have the Commander's thoughts on this, it is certainly not your decision to make!"

"The Commander is here," says a dark voice from the door to the small conference room, and there stands Gendo Ikari with his ember glasses and right hand in his pocket. "You two bury the war axe on this; we've placed Unit-01 in quarantine until the pilot is awoken from his coma. What we do with it afterwards we'll deal with when we know the status of its pilot." When there is no immediate response from either woman exempt for that neither looks on the verge of killing the other anymore Gendo continues, "We're considering every option on this, _every_ option. Now get back to work. Dismissed!"

The two women glance sullenly at one another, but leave as ordered. Misato goes first and when Ritsuko walks past Gendo he puts a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Dr. Akagi, one moment of your time," he says to Ritsuko's confused expression. He glances behind himself to make sure Misato has left; he can just see her red bomber jacket disappear around the corner, and turns to the blonde. "That isn't to say we don't see your point of view as well. Yui is in conference with SEELE at present, I suggest you wait until she returns before you convince yourself of anything. Everything depends on the schedule."

"I'm an adult, Commander," Ritsuko says in carefully managed polite tones, "You do not need to spare my ego."

Gendo tilts his head down and regards the blonde over the rim of his glasses. "You're more like your mother than you're willing to admit, doctor, and not much better than the sister that you regard so lowly."

"Respectfully," Ritsuko hisses at him, "Just because you offered my mother comfort after her husband's death doesn't mean you have any right to judge me!"

Gendo regards her for a moment, and then his shoulders tense down slightly and he steps to the side, letting Ritsuko pass, "I do not judge you, doctor. Regardless of what you may think of me, I do not like to see my employees arguing over old wounds."

Perking an eyebrow, Ritsuko glances over her shoulder towards the Commander, "And what? You expect me to come crawling to you for comfort just like Naoko?"

"Are you considering taking your own life, doctor?"

"No."

"Then, no."

– –

–

–

–

– –

Unit-01 is standing in a kneeling position with its head tipped almost as if in reverence upon the torn meadow. All the ash and dust from the eruption has been hauled off and the ground has been flattened enough that vehicles can move about, but Ryan would still dare guess it'll be a while before this place will return to how it looked post-berserk Evangelion. Two huge craters dot the field, the remnants of Unit-01's awakening and the Angel's death, both of which are being rigorously studied by men and women in bulky hazard suits. The inert Unit-01 has been surrounded by a circle of huge pillars, obsidian black with patterns of red criss-crossing their surface; for what purpose Ryan wasn't told exempt they would 'make Unit-01 safer to study and discourage unintentional activity within the Core'.

 _Right._ He can hear the hillbillies in the Tokyo-3 suburbs screaming bloody murder about how their view of the landscape is being ruined already.

He has been placed on guard duty in Unit-02 until top brass have decided what to do with Unit-01, so right now he has little else to do than stand around and look pretty. He's happy for the opportunity to actually get out and pilot Unit-02 for himself for a change, while Mari is recovering, but there isn't a lot to do out here exempt for helping the engineers and scientists set up shop.

A good while into the afternoon, just as he finishes very gently digging up a heavy truck from the loose dirt, it managed to find a wet spot and sunk into the mud, he spots a JSSDF type 26 'Toryu' VTOL aircraft as it comes soaring over the distant mountaintops, long and cylindrical body with two stubby wings and an enormous jet engine at the tip of each; the engines shift from pointing backwards to pointing downwards as the VTOL approaches, and like a helicopter it sets down at the edge of the meadow. A side hatch opens and a sole human exits, someone with pale blue hair and dressed in a predominantly white plugsuit. _And those red eyes… She really does look like a ghost._

The VTOL shuts off its engines and remains where it landed, while Rei makes her way towards Unit-01. Ryan makes sure the truck's alright, and then stomps off to meet her. She reaches the perimeter around Unit-01, guarded by JSSDF soldiers with very large assault rifles and rocket launchers pretty quick for a sixteen-year-old on foot, and then just stands there staring over the edge of the perimeter fence. The soldiers look a little discomforted when Unit-02 comes over, but Rei doesn't react until Ryan has kneeled down besides the general area she stands in and spoken to her, "Fancy seeing you here, Rei. Whassup?"

She glances over her shoulder, up at Unit-02's upper chest rather than head, perfectly blank, "I wanted to come here."

Ryan blinks. _Uhhh…_ He scratches the back of his neck, fights off the urge to make a 'Captain Obvious' joke, and replies, "Right, and… Why? No monsters here, Rei, just a whole can of bookworms crunching numbers."

"I wanted to visit EVA," she states, looking back up towards the immovable Evangelion. "I am connected to her, and I wanted to come here and… Meditate."

Ryan perks an eyebrow, "What, because you were its original pilot or something?"

"…You could say that," Rei mumbles.

At hearing Rei answer in the positive something clicks at the back of Ryan's mind, and he nods thoughtfully. "Yeah well, I know how you feel. I was a little miffed to have Mari be chosen as Unit-02's primary pilot to be honest, but then again, they did have their reasons."

Rei glances over her shoulder for a moment, again up towards Unit-02's upper chest, replying with a plain "Indeed" before turning back to Unit-01. She doesn't seem too keen to continue along this line so Ryan switches subject, "So, have you checked in on Mari or Shinji? I never got time to do so myself."

"I was not allowed near Shinji, they are keeping him in a secure section of the hospital wards at NERV," she mumbles over her shoulder; Ryan could swear he can discern a certain disappointment in Rei's voice. "Dr. Musashi assures me he is not seriously wounded, but he is suspended in some kind of coma. They know not when he will awaken again." She takes a moment to brush a strand of hair out of her face, "Mari is recovering from a few burst arteries, without issues. She was sad her glasses broke during the fight."

Ryan raises an eyebrow, "They broke? How?"

"Left lens cracked due to her high synch ratio," Rei states, plainly.

"Oh, I see. Shame, she did like those glasses."

A few moments' silence passes and Ryan just considers leaving Rei to her own when she turns halfway, glancing again over her shoulder at him and asking, "Ryan, would it… Be prudent, uhm, or _nice_ , to offer her a new pair?"

Again Ryan's eyebrow perks up, but he's got a smile beneath that surprised expression this time, "New pair of glasses, Rei? How come?"

Rei blinks, and turns to face Unit-02 entirely, hands clasped in front of her waist, "She offered to help me when Unit-01 was fighting Nathaniel, the Angel. I… Wanted to return the favour."

Ryan would have patted her on the shoulder if he could. "I think it's a wonderful idea, Rei. You go do that, I'll stand here and meditate for you in the meantime." Rei produces a confused frown at that, opening her mouth to argue and Ryan cuts her off by raising Unit-02's hands defensively in the style of a hundred-meter tall and red-coloured Nel DeWood Thison statue, "I didn't mean it literally, Rei. Just get on with those glasses, hm?"

– –

–

–

–

– –

"This a god-damn catastrophe! Merde! I'm sad to say I am starting to lose faith in your abilities, Dr. Ikari, and those of your colleagues."

Gabriela massages the bridge of her nose. _This whole business is starting to bring up some unpleasant memories…_ She tosses her head back to clear her face of some strands of her black-dyed hair, adjusting her glasses before leaning forward over her desk again; Anzhela behind the blue desk cuts the Frenchman short by stating "Please! You know that is a foolish sentiment just as well as anyone here, Emmanuel."

 _You can say that again…_ Gabriela thinks bitterly to herself as Lorenz raises his head to speak, "Dr. Ikari, you must realize that my colleague's accusations are not entirely unfounded. I hope you can tell me this accident is not as disastrous as it would seem."

"We have of course been able to research the event," Yui replies, very stiffly; Gabriella can tell the doctor would like nothing more than to just sink through the floor at this point, she never has dealt very well with being put into a situation that's in all respects but name a hearing. "You can rest assured that we will be devoting every available resource into making sure this does not happen again," she goes on, carefully casting a glance around the dark conference room. Emmanuel seems subdued by Anzhela for now, and Lorenz is thoughtfully stroking his chin; Gabriella and Anton have been keeping silent for most of the time, but at this time the American shifts in his seat and leans forward on one stocky elbow. "Yui, when it comes to the Evangelions you are the most technically skilled one amongst us," he says, evenly and diplomatically, casting a glance of his own around the room as he goes on as if trying to push home his point, "I think, if you tell us with a straight face you're doing all you can and will take every necessary precaution, that we can accept that."

Gabriella decides to pipe in as well, facing Lorenz, "You always told us to never grow overconfident in our plans. Accidents are about to happen, right?"

"Yes," Anzhela grumbles as she cleans her half-moon glasses, "But that still doesn't solve the issue. What are we to do with her, with EVA?" She looks up to Lorenz, who sits leaning over his desk, propped up on his elbows, hands clasped. He grumbles something under his breath and then raises his head, "Dr. Ikari, we will provide you with those resources, _rest assured_. We will not interfere in how you run your branch for now, but I urge you to get Unit-01 back into fighting service as soon as possible; it would not do to fail now."

Yui utters a subtle sigh of relief before bowing her head to Lorenz in gratitude, "Thank you, Chairman." She and her desk then disappear from the dark space, leaving only the other four. Anzhela tips her head with a very light sigh, "God preserve us… Why is this happening?"

"This was reckless, even for someone like Yui…" Emmanuel mutters.

"Indeed it was," says Anton, "I am curious as to how they will handle this. We were all in agreement that Yui and Aoi would not go against our wishes together, correct?"

Gabriella shakes her head at this, "Neither of them have any reason to. Aoi doesn't know and Yui doesn't care. It was a gamble, true, but I still think we made the right choice. I doubt this is a case of anyone going against our wishes, it is simply… Love."

Emmanuel sinks back into his chair at this, massaging his forehead and sighing, "Like Anzhela said, God preserve us… I certainly hope they don't significantly interfere with the plans we have for the three pilots at least, that is what can truly ruin it all."

The other four nod severely in agreement.

– –

–

–

–

– –

The security guard standing outside the door glances down at her tentatively for the second time; she came up to the door leading into the EVA pilot's hospital room clutching a small white package and has spent the last minute just staring at the door; he knows who she is well enough, no need to halt her from entering but you'd think she didn't come here just to stare at Flight Lieutenant Mari S. Illustrious' door the entire day. He turns his head towards her and opens his mouth to pose a question but at that precise moment Rei reises her hand and turns the handle, letting herself into the room and leaves him standing there gaping like a moron.

It's evening outside and the room is only dimly lit, casting a soft shadow over everything. Mari is lying in a plain hospital bed with pale green sheets at the far end of the spacious room with a syringe in her arm and a monitor next to her; a lone nurse sits at the other far end of the room next to a computer on a desk, seemingly in the process ofsolving a Sudoku puzzle. She raises her head as Rei enters, muttering "Visitor, I presume?" Rei nods, the nurse writes something down on the computer screen to her right and mutters "You can come in" before going back to her puzzle. Hearing the voices Mari raises her head and blinks in Rei's direction; she thrusts her head as far forward as she comfortably can and squints, "Rei?"

"Yes," she says and approaches the bed. Mari sinks back into her pillow, shifting a little so she's at least close to sitting up, "Not that I dislike the company, but what are you doin' here?"

Rei blinks and looks down at the package in her hand, then back at Mari, "I want to give you something… For yesterday." She stops just short of the bed's edge and holds the present out to Mari, a little stiffly. The brunette takes the gift with interest and perhaps a little too much excitement, almost snatching it out of Rei's hand, "Oh, how nice! I wonder what you've gotten…" she mumbles in seemingly honest curiosity. The package is rectangular and neatly wrapped up in a white paper with plain patterns of emerald green circles made out of what looks like rose thorn vines, and Mari swiftly tears it all off; once she sees what the package contains she lets out a squeal of joy, "Omigod Rei these are lovely! Thank you!" She drops the pack in her lap and reaches out for Rei's arm, pulling the surprised blue-hair into a tight hug that lasts long enough that Rei has to sit down on the bed's edge, tentatively returning the embrace.

"It's sweet of you to buy these for me, Rei," Mari says, smiling wide as she lets her go; Rei in turn is blushing and starts fidgeting with the rim of her skirt, only occasionally meeting Mari's eyes, "Y-yes, I wanted to thank you for…"

Mari breaks Rei off with a dismissive wave of her right hand, "For what I did yesterday when Unit-01 went batshit insane, yeah, I get that. Rei…" She reaches forward and puts her left hand on top of Rei's, squeezing them gently, "Thank you. You don't have to fidget about over justifying yourself, it was really sweet of you to do this. Okay?"

Rei opens her mouth to argue, but decides against it and only nods. Mari nods back, evidently satisfied, and takes the new pair of glasses out, putting them on; the glass frames are thick, angular almost with a triangle shape, and intensely red. "Ahh, much better!" Mari declares, and amidst the cogwheels spinning away inside Rei's head she finds the ability to produce a smile for Mari's sake as well as her own.

End of chapter 12.


	14. Borderline case (chapter 12)

**Chapter 12: Borderline case**

Another subway train speeds past on the opposite side of the platform, drowning out all other noise with the subtle whining of its wheels upon the rail and the characteristic clanking noise of its passing as she exits her own train and turns left, towards the escalators leading to the streets above. In the near-midnight darkness the city is illuminated brilliantly by street lights and neon signs shining like torches within an enormous cave, the black sky an impenetrable ceiling; the rain is pouring, turning every surface into a constantly shifting and rippling mirror that beautifully reflect the lights of the city in pools of water, engine hoods and some of the more polished surfaces of the metal buildings that make up Tokyo-3. The rain has soaked Maya's trousers as she hadn't dressed for rain when she went to work this day, but her coat is rainproof enough that at least her top half is spared the damp chill clinging to her legs, and has a hood; like this she weaves her way through the sparsely populated streets, eyes fixed firmly on the pavement a meter or so ahead of her.

She turns a right corner just as someone else comes around the same corner turning left; they very nearly collide, and stand there on the corner for a good fifteen seconds apologizing and reassuring themselves they did not harm the other before the elderly man she walked into eventually accepts Maya's reassurances, gives a light bow, and continues down the pavement. Maya follows him idly with her eyes for a moment, and something catches her eye on the far side of the block; one of the great TV screens plastered onto the side of a building that was previously displaying commercials for modern, cutting-edge cars switches to another company's products; it begins with a dark red screen which, in the pouring rain appears to move and ripple, and all of her carefully erected barriers are torn down around her.

The memories come flooding through the cracks, most prominently the one where a great, sickly rippling noise goes through the hangar and the 7th angel explodes, showering the world with blood. She sees her own hands, her clothes and the very floor all drenched in it, and even Yui's blood-soaked face, worried though it might appear, just urges on the weakness in her legs and the desire to throw up. All around her the traffic lights have turned red, and her knees give in below her; she stumbles to the right, supporting herself on a traffic light. On the border of hyperventilation she looks about herself wildly, blinking-

-Then suddenly someone very gently puts a hand on her shoulder, a familiar voice asking "Is everything alright?" It's something to hold on to, and she takes a deep breath, calming herself enough to speak with relative clarity, "I'm… I'm fine, sir, thank you for asking…" He must also have recognized her voice, because as she speaks Kaji steps around to look her in the eye; he has to bend a little to manage to see beneath her hood, he stands a whole head taller than her, "Maya?"

She blinks up at him; he's still got his hand on the wet shoulder of her jacket, it feels comforting in a way. Might be because that it's actually warm, contrary to the rain that's starting to seep through, she's not sure. He's wearing a seemingly watertight trenchcoat himself, but without a hood, so his black hair is completely soaked and his face dripping. Her mouth opens and closes like a beached fish, not quite sure what to say to him; he probably knows full well about the incident with the Angel. "It's alright, you don't have to explain yourself, I know," he indeed says, lightly squeezing Maya's shoulder. "What are you doing out this late? Just coming home from work?" His tone goes from concerned and understanding to casual and friendly, and he straightens out, taking his hand off of her shoulder; she catches herself reaching up to put it back, and instead answers the question, "Yeah, I… I wanted to keep my mind off things, a-and…"

She peters out and lowers her eyes, sticking her hands back into her pockets. Kaji nods, understanding, "I see. Is it anything you'd like to talk about? I know we are not the closest of friends, but that's never stopped me before." He cracks a humorous little smirk, scratching his neck as Maya ponders the offer for a moment. She nods to herself, and then nods sideways down the street around the corner, "You can walk me home."

Maya sets off down the street through the pouring rain, Kaji obediently falling in next to her. They walk for a long time without saying a word; her not knowing quite what to tell him and he waiting patiently for her to figure it out. Eventually Kaji starts worrying she's forgot about him, so he speaks up, having to make himself heard over a car speeding down the road next to them, "You know, there's nothing shameful in admitting you're squeamish."

Maya glances up at him for a moment, letting out a small sigh, "I came to terms with that a long time ago, Kaji. I can't stand blood, even… Even cutting myself with a kitchen knife will send me into a frenzy not because it hurts but because I'm bleeding. I had thought a nice and comfortable desk life would put me as far away from that as possible. You don't usually bleed from paper cuts at least…"

They round another corner and enter a small courtyard with ten stories tall apartment blocks left, right and centre. As they come up to the door leading into the one on the right, Kaji stops just beyond the roof overhanging the porch, saying "Well, I suppose I'll bid you good night then, Maya. I hope you sleep well." He turns to leave, but Maya turns around, shouting "Wait!" after him. Slightly excessive, in retrospect, he had taken just two steps away, but she didn't want to take any chances. He stops and turns around, eyebrow raised but still with that small smirk playing on his lips, "Yes?"

She blinks, but doesn't hesitate too long before speaking her mind, deciding for once to just let her gut feeling do the talking, "Sorry, I… I know, as you said, that we're not the closest of friends but… Would you like to come in? Maybe, uh…" She hesitates, but decides that she's just got to ride this wave to the end, "…Spend the night..?" She curses her foolishness the moment the words have finishes stumbling off her tongue, worry bubbling up along with the general, stomach-twisting anxiety she's had there the last week. Kaji blinks, for the first time to Maya's memory looking positively surprised, which only adds extra weight to her already sinking feeling, but before long he takes a few steps back, again standing just beyond the roof by the porch that's sheltering her.

"Are you sure you want to ask that of me? I you said yourself that we're not very close." There's no judgement in Kaji's voice, no self-confident or down-the nose sneer, just honest curiosity, and Maya makes a mental effort to dig up some actual confidence as she responds, speaking softly even through gritted teeth, "I know. I know, it's just… You're a nice guy, Misato and Ritsuko have both spoken well of you, and... And… I need this, okay?" She steps forward, bringing her a single meter away from Kaji, "I have felt like such crap of late, I've felt so much, and I hate it! If I get a chance to feel better for once, even a remote and desperate one, can you blame me for grabbing for it?"

With it finally off her chest she breathes out, deflating like a punctured balloon, and a little shyly she mumbles "Sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable… I don't even know if I'll enjoy myself doing it with someone I only know superficially, but…" Kaji tilts his head to the side, his expression hidden by the darkness that falls beyond the roof, but his sympathetic tone is telling enough, "Maya, why is this so painful for you?"

Taking a deep breath and summoning up the last ounce of courage she can muster, Maya replies with a small smirk of her own, "I'll tell you afterwards… You coming or no?"

–

*

–

She falls on her back onto the bed, completely wrapped up in Kaji's mostly naked body. One of his hands is up fondling her chest, miniscule though it might be, while he rocks his crotch gently up against hers; she's overflowing with a warm and fuzzy feeling she hasn't experienced in a long time, and a playful pinch by Kaji coaxes a soft moan out of her.

She buries her hands deep into the mess of damp black hair above her and kisses him with a fiery passion, although she's driven more by a simple desire to just fuck and less by any real love for him, which makes the kiss feel a little weird. The two pull apart, staring into one another's eyes and she slowly wraps her legs around his midriff, mumbling "We're doing this, but you're going out of the house tomorrow morning at seven _stat_ , you got that?"

Kaji chuckles, his entire body rocking, and he nods, "Whatever you say, sweety." He pecks her on the neck just below the jaw before slipping out of her grasp, kneeling down between her legs by the bed's edge. She closes her eyes and lets it come, but all she does is yelp in surprise as he gets to work, and a giggle escapes her, "Kaji, your lips are cold! Watch what you're doing!"

"Hey, it's not my fault the rain decided to come the one day I forgot my hat at home, is it?" he retorts playfully and kisses the inside of her thigh, running his tongue up Maya's leg. Satisfied he's not going to cause her frostbite in embarrassing places she breathes out and lets him work, and he does it good; begins slowly, teasing her to the point that she takes a firm hold of his scalp and presses him in, locking her thighs around his head and almost instantly another, louder moan rolls off her tongue as he stops holding back entirely. He takes a hold of Maya's thighs to keep _her_ in place as she bucks against his tongue, her back arching softly; she reaches for anything to do with her idle left hand, and it finally ends up fondling her right breast, picking up where Kaji left off.

She stares up into the ceiling, drinking in the sensations. It's been so long and it feels good, it feels so good she exaggerates herself a little just to urge him on; the knowledge that she barely knows him she has stowed away in a box at the back of her mind. Her iron grip she has around his head slowly slackens, and then suddenly he's hanging over her, very close. "Are you on any sort of contraceptives?" he mumbles into Maya's ear, nibbling on the skin of her neck. She nods, "Yeah, yeah I am, don't worry." She blinks, and quickly adds, "N-not that I was planning, or even expecting something like this, I just… It helps my menstruation cycle stay regular, okay?"

Kaji doesn't say anything, doesn't nod or shake his head, he just climbs up fully onto the bed and shifts them both so that they can lie comfortably and spreads Maya's legs apart with her own, hovering above her. She wraps her legs around him, stroking her things up and down his sides and pressing her feet against his bum, urging him on to do it. At this Kaji does crack a small grin, tilting his head to the side as he reaches down to aim, "I must say you have me at a disadvantage, Maya. I never had you figured for the feisty type, not that I disapprove of course..."

Rolling her eyes, she reaches up and buries her hands in the man's still-wet scalp, pulling him down, "I'll tell you all about it later; will you just stick it in already?" She plasters her lips over his to shut up any wisecrack response, closing her eyes and bracing. When he enters her she for just a moment feels as if electrified, her spine arching and their bodies press together. She bites into her lower lip and lets Kaji's lips go; he buries his face in the space between her shoulder and jaw, biting down on the skin of her neck as he moves, wringing moan after moan out of her.

When he reaches down to again pinch a nipple in between his fingers, squeezing is and kneading the breast beneath the build-up hits her fairly hard and fast, and her nails dig shallow grooves in his back as she squeals with orgasm into his shoulder. Once the worst has washed over her she falls back onto the bed softly panting, hands grabbing at the bedsheets as Kaji continues on. One of his hands move up over the bed, taking her own and squeezing it hard as he comes as well, thrusting himself as deep into her as he's able. Panting and sporting a toothy grin he raises himself up a little to look down into Maya's eyes; for the first time in the last ten minutes she feels like she can think and feel clearly. He is a tad unshaved, with a stub at the bottom of his chin, and his skin is just like hers slick with sweat as it rubs together, yet she hasn't been happier in a long time.

–

*

–

They have crawled down under the bedsheets, Maya snuggling up against Kaji who seems just as spent as she is. Her nose is assaulted by an impressive cacophony of smells, only _some_ of which is a tinge of sweat and Kaji's cheap deo mingled with the smell of her own shampoo. He runs the nails of his right hand up her back which sends a pleasant tingle up her spine, and lets out a heavy breath that makes his chest heave and fall slowly, "So… I'm still curious, Maya. Standing in a literal shower of blood can be terrifying for anyone, but I think there must be more than just a case of being squeamish behind going into shock and having to suffer through PTSD for it, hm?"

Maya's lips become a thin line and her shoulders slump, "I really don't want to think about that right now, okay?"

She can almost feel him smirk, "Come on, I think you said you would tell me. I am here to help, after all; I like to think, regardless of what Misato or Ritz might say, that I can do that in other ways than just offering myself up to you girls." Grimacing at a tinge of guilt from his words she nods, sighing and then speaking up. "You remember that during the Second Impact wars a border skirmish occurred between Japan and China, right?"

He nods, with a simple "Mhm".

"Well…" She chews on her lower lip for a moment before going on. "Me and my family, we lived there at the time, and when news that the war might be coming to our home town my family didn't want to evacuate. Not all wanted to, but most did. They said that, and I quote, as long as all we're seeing is Chinese scare tactics and government cowardice on the news we're not moving."

"But when they went from scare tactics to armed conflict it was too late, I take it?" Kaji mumbles, calmly and noncommittally. Maya nods, "Yeah… When the shells and missiles started raining down it was too little too late. I was very lucky to even survive myself, I was down in our cellar looking for something for my father. I heard this thundering noise and came running up the stairs, only to see through a mirror a bomb tearing my parents to bloody scraps… Blood splattered all along the corridor to the little T-section that led to the door to the cellar. I would probably have run up there and gotten blown up as well if it weren't for another shell throwing me off my feet and sending me down the stairwell… I must've hit my head against something. When I came to again it all had stopped, and…"

She goes silent, arguing internally that Kaji understands -so that she doesn't have to say anything more- and indeed he nods, running the nails of his right hand down Maya's back this time, "I'm sorry to hear you've had to go through something like that, and at such a young age. I've suffered too, everyone suffered in the aftermath of the Second Impact, but losing both one's parents is… It's at this point that I normally offer a counterweight of sorts to a problem, digging up a bright side and saying 'but there's always this!'. I don't think I can now though, there's nothing to say that can ease such a loss. I learnt that from Misato and Ritz."

Maya nods solemnly, "Yes, I suppose they have suffered in much the same way… I just wish I could deal with it with the same grace." She sighs, to which Kaji shakes his head, "They wern't any more graceful than you are; they've just had more time, and eachother to vent against."

"I suppose you've slept with both of them too," Maya mumbles, and fails to catch a tinge of jealous bitterness in her voice that Kaji really doesn't deserve. He chuckles softly and pats her on the back, "Only with Misato… Ritz wouldn't hear of it, but she could still talk to me in a way she never wanted to with Misato."

"Do they sometimes just break down like this too?" she tentatively asks, running an index finger in a small circle randomly over Kaji's chest. He shakes his head, "Nah, not that I know. Then again, neither of them has had to relive their traumas ten years down the line, Maya."

 _Good point_ , she thinks with a certain feeling of relief, nodding. Kaji pecks the top of her head, ruffling her hair with his other hand, "Sorry if I havn't been helpful, but it's like I said… There's not much to say against having one's entire family taken away from you."

Maya only shakes her head at this, however, and pecks him back with a small, content smile, "No no, just understanding is more than enough, Kaji."

– –

–

–

–

– –

There's a soft hydraulic hiss as the desk and seat lowers back into the floor and merges seamlessly with the finely cut and polished wood, removing any trace of its existence from the great room. Lights hum back to life around her, illuminating the great rows of bookcases and expensive paintings, like the one at the far short wall where a copy of _The Fighting Temeraire_ hangs behind a much more conventional desk and a much more comfortable leather office chair.

She sighs, running a red-nailed hand through long and thick black hair as she turns to walk down to that desk, muttering about stubborn old men and stubborn old women. She stops, takes a deep breath, and runs a finger down her chest, along a pale scar running from her collarbone on the top right down to below her left breast; it's straight and a milky beige, with smaller ones cutting across it every few inches. Touching it stings just as if it was a fresh wound, but it gives a certain clarity of thought.

Then a chime rings to her right. A great oak gate large enough to fit a car through is squeezed in between two bookcases halfway down the right wall, and a screen above the door shows the face of a man grizzled by many long years of service as her top agent. "James," she says plainly, her tone somewhat resembling a teacher when a student comes late to class; despite her standing a good eight metres from the gate, built-in mikes all over the room sends her voice quite clearly to the man standing on the other side of the door. He smiles, a barely noticeable movement of his lips, "My, you look cheerful today ma'am."

She exhales sharply through her nose, mumbling "Well aren't you a funny one" before turning her steps back to the work desk at the other end of the room. He waits patiently while she settles down, after which she raises her voice to say "You may come in," at which point the doors automatically slide open at the programmed voice command, admitting the grizzled man into the enormous office; he's middle-aged and very well-built, dressed in one of the finest suits _her_ _organization's_ money can buy and carries a bandage around his right palm.

"How's your day, ma'am?" he politely asks as he steps in, walking up to stand before the desk. She gestures to one of three armchairs and he sits down while she replies, in slightly more irritated tones, "Short-sightedness is making it worse."

"Respectfully ma'am, people with too much power tend to grow short-sighted sooner or later," says James, his expression as gentle as if he'd been commenting on the weather. She stares at him for a moment, incredulous, and when the expected follow-up doesn't come she says "This is the point when you smirk and say that 'thankfully, M, you haven't gotten under the weather just yet', James."

He doesn't smirk, he just shifts a little in the armchair, leaning back in a way that is all smugness apart from the lack of a smile and replies, "You know I don't trust shady Illuminati-wannabe organizations like SEELE, ma'am."

"I don't care what you think about such things, _operative_ , I need you to focus on getting the job done out there," she retorts, gesturing up towards the ceiling for emphasis. At this James tilts his head slightly to the side, regarding her, "If you don't care then why correct me? I had thought that after the Second Impact crisis we consider ourselves at least colleagues on good terms, Gabriella."

"You take the words out of my mouth," she says, a little less stern now, "I wish you could understand the necessity of my work; I wish you could trust me."

James shifts a little in the armchair again, thinking. He lets out a small sigh and then smiles jokingly, head tilted ever so slightly to the side, "Well, I suppose they can't be planning the doom of us all every day of the week. Who's being short-sighted today then, ma'am?"

"One of my colleagues," she says, massaging the bridge of her nose, "We're trying to find candidates for a pilot of Evangelion Unit-06… Commander Ikari in Japan has one right under his nose, but he refuses to part with her and have a replacement sent in, says he needs people he knows he can trust for his staff."

"Why, that sounds like a cause you'd applaud standing up, ma'am," James remarks casually.

"Yes yes," Gabriella mutters with a sigh of resignation, "But this is unfortunately a little too important for that, this girl is by far the best candidate. Both parents deceased, at a young enough age that she would synch with her mother's soul very well. She is a little frail, admittedly, but so is Shinji, and he is doing remarkably well I hear."

"And is she also nothing more than a kid?"

"No, she's a little older now, which is why it's fortunate that-" Gabriella halts herself at this point, staring down at her desk while her cheeks redden slightly with embarrassment, "And here I sit, using the words 'fortunate' and 'deceased mother' in the same sentence… I don't suppose I'm doing much to help proving SEELE's innocence."

"No", James states, simply.

– –

–

–

–

– –

The world is completely amber, a bright fiery yellow. The sky is of a redder tint, more like actual fire, while up in the sky there hangs no sun or moon but a black sphere with stripes of white in random patterns, very slowly rotating. It gives off no light itself, the world seems to simply _be_ bright.

He's sitting in a train car just as amber as everything else. When he looks out through the window on the opposite side he can see buildings and electrical power line pylons rush past but everything is strangely translucent, as if made out of blackened glass; in reality all he can be sure exists is the train car and the endless amber ocean that stretches out for as far as the eye can see in every direction, that doesn't seem to move at all despite him being able to feel the pressure of the train's momentum as it speeds along the tracks.

"What happened…" he mumbles, for lack of anything else to say. His last memory is of a giant skull reaching out for him from behind a curtain of ash.

"You destroyed the Angel," a voice bereft of gender or age says plainly in response.

"Did I? I can't remember clearly…" Shinji scratches his scalp as if digging for the answers that way will help.

"Yes, you did."

"I'm not so sure it was me…"

"Then who did?"

The question brings Shinji pause. "I don't know, okay? So what?"

"If you did not destroy the Angel, then who did?" the voice repeats, calmly.

"It's destroyed, that's all I need to know!"

"If you did not destroy the Angel, then who did?"

Shinji's shoulders slump, his lips become a thin line. "I suppose the EVA did…"

A pair of huge tower-like buildings flash by, turning all black for a moment. When the amber light is restored Misato stands in front of him, arms crossed, "So Eva destroyed the Angel, without your say-so?"

"Without my- I guess? Maybe? Can the EVA do that? I would have wanted it to destroy the Angel anyway, so…" Shinji blinks, averting his eyes from the Misato-shape. It tosses a hand into the air with a shrug of its shoulders, turning its side to him, "Alright then, I guess all's fine and dandy."

A noise like wind goes through the car and the shape is gone, leaving him alone again. The train shakes lightly and makes the trademark _ca-chunk_ noise as it goes over an intersection on the tracks, and then Mari suddenly sits two seats to the left over from Shinji, facing him; she's wearing her plugsuit and has one leg put up on the seat between them, her other down on the floor. It gives Shinji a view of her underside that leaves very little to the imagination, tight as the plugsuit is, and with a blush that would put tsundere characters everywhere to shame he desperately looks for a place to put his eyes; Mari's own is no option, because her face is wholly darkened, blacked out and invisible.

"So it's good? You like Eva taking control and tearing the Angel to bloody shreds?" the Mari-shape asks in a sensual voice that suggest _yes_ is very much the right answer.

"N-no, it's not like that…" Shinji stumbles out, having finally affixed his eyes on the great black-and-white body in the sky above.

"Is it good because it defended you, then? It feels comforting?"

"W-well, of course it's nice that I didn't have to get cooked in there, b-but I'm not sure that…"

"Why is it wrong? You said you would have wanted Eva to destroy the Angel. That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Of course it is! What kind of question is that?! The Angels will destroy us all if we don't win!"

"What's making you indecisive then, Shinji?"

"Because… Because EVA isn't supposed to act like that. It's not supposed to _act_ at all."

Train pulls in at a station, Mari-shape is gone when next he glances in its direction. When he turns his eyes forward again, instead Rei sits there; she, however isn't faceless like the others, neither does she seem affected by the amber gloom that permeates everything else. She's wearing a strange, white plugsuit-like thing, only with large glove-like devices on her hands with red gems embedded in them and a series of tubes running from her back up to the train car's ceiling, loosely reminiscent of wings. She sits with her hands patiently in her lap, looking Shinji straight in the eye, "So you're worried about something?"

"I, uh… I suppose so. Should I be worried?" He shifts a little in his seat, meeting Rei's gaze, although he feels a little discomforted.

"The EVA isn't supposed to act at all," Rei repeats calmly, and tilts her head to the side ever so slightly, "How do you mean?"

"I am supposed to be in control of it, and when I am not it's supposed to be shut off, that's how it works… I just wish I knew how to stop it from going berserk." Shinji looks down into his lap.

"Berserk?" Rei raises an eyebrow. "A state when mindless violence, bloodshed and killing becomes your only desire. Is that what you call it?"

Shinji nods, "Yeah. The EVA takes control and won't stop until the Angel is destroyed; it seems appropriate."

Rei blinks. "Does Eva going berserk worry you?"

"Why would it not? It's the most dangerous thing we humans have ever built, if it suddenly decides to do whatever the hell it likes then of course it worries me! It's dangerous! Like letting a nuclear bomb sit around in the street without the safety on, or- or something."

"But it hasn't caused any collateral damage yet, has it?"

"Well no, but… It still might. Who knows what motivates that thing? The thought that it might at any time pick up some random person and bite them in half at the waist, it's… It's terrifying."

"But you need Eva to fight the Angels, don't you?"

Shinji's lips become a thin line, and he lets out a defeated sigh through his nose, "Yeah… Yeah, we do… I know…"

"Will you pilot Eva again?"

"Doubt I got much choice… I tried running away from this responsibility once when Ambriel attacked and it didn't go well… And it's not like I don't get what's at stake either, it's just… It's hard to bring myself to pilot that thing, some times."

"Will you pilot Eva again?" Rei repeats, softly.

"I… I guess I will… I don't want to, but I got to."

Rei nods, seemingly satisfied, and rises from her seat to walk to to him, staring down at him; the tubes connecting her strange plugsuit to the ceiling detach and the entire train cab is flooded with LCL, breaking the windows and throwing Shinji out-

-And he wakes with a gasp, staring straight into Yui's concerned but nonetheless relieved eyes, hovering over his hospital bed as morning breaks outside, the sound of cicadas flowing into the room through the open window.

End of chapter 13.


	15. Faith in others, faith in yourself (13)

**Chapter 13: Faith in others, faith in yourself.**

Shinji stands staring at the immobile Unit-01, locked tightly into its cage. Yui said they had only recently moved it here but are not yet comfortable enough to let him pilot it; he's effectively grounded for now. He twists his lips with indecision. _I'm not sure what to think of it… I feel at once happy that I get an excuse to not pilot, but thinking that makes me feel guilty_.

He cracks a small smirk, _I'm letting the girls do all the work for me, what a man I am._ He scratches his neck idly, glancing over to the right where Unit-02 stands, _Would it behave in the same way if Unit-02 went berserk? Or would it being a more advanced and powerful model make it even more vicious and strong? I hope we never have to find that out._

He turns back to Unit-01. It stares back down at him passively. _Was it you who talked to me in that dream? Or was it just my subconscious taking me for a ride? I doubt I could tell you apart, to be honest… Ever since the first time I piloted I've been having strange thoughts, weird day-dreams, odd sensation, things I'm not sure are a part of me. I even caught myself imagining my dad in drag once… If that was your fault I'm making sure you lose an arm the next fight._

He sighs and looks about himself, making sure no one else is around. He then actually speaks up rather than just thinking to himself, straight up at the Evangelion, "Was it you in my dream? And what are you trying to tell me? You want to warn me, or were you… Trying to apologize? ...Mocking me, perhaps? You asked whether or not I'll continue piloting; I doubt you're trying to convince me to stay around, I don't see how any Evangelion would want to have _me_ as its pilot." He chuckles, a little nervously, and shakes his head. "I also said that Evangelions aren't supposed to act on their own at all, so what am I doing here talking to you… But you did act on your own. Do you listen as well?"

When Unit-01's head turns down ever so slightly Shinji is so shocked he falls onto his ass on the umbilical bridge, surprise and curiosity and horror and indignation all vying for control over how he's going to handle the fact that his EVA just nodded at him, sort of; he looks around himself to see if anyone else is around who saw the EVA's head move, but all he sees when he looks to the right is the fact that Unit-02's head has craned ever so slightly to the left as if to observe the whole spectacle. Shinji screams at the top of his lungs, horror definitely taking the upper hand at this point, but the sound is drowned out by the alarm going off:

 **Red alert**

 **Condition 1 set throughout base**

 **9** **th** **Angel approaching Tokyo-3**

 **All on-duty personnel to battle stations**

Now just confused more than anything else Shinji looks around; Unit-01's head has gone back to its original position but Unit-02's head has actually turned even further as if glancing over to Unit-01. He thinks for a moment and then decides he's actually gone insane and the fact that his EVA communicated with him, as well as Unit-02 looking over as if silently reprimanding Unit-01 is all some sort of fevered trick of his imagination, so he turns on his heel and walks out, whistling carefreely.

– –

–

–

–

– –

Central Dogma is a bustle, the controlled chaos that has come to be the norm when an Angel shows up. As Misato comes running most of the others have already taken their posts apart from Maya and, surprisingly, the Commander; Yui is sitting in his spot up on high, with Fuyutsuki standing next to her, hair dripping wet but face stoic and professional as always.

"Report!" She barks at no one in particular, and Makato answers, "The 9th Angel is advancing from the east as we speak; we should have it on viewer momentarily." Ritsuko turns from Maya and steps up to Misato, "Colonel, this Angel is exhibiting qualities very similar to Ambriel, the 6th Angel. My guess is that we will be able to make the first strike." Misato nods, cracking a small smirk, "Good. We'll sent Unit-02 out and keep Unit-00 on reserve." Mari is still not fit for action but Unit-02 has already been repaired thanks to some clever emergency patch-up work by Ritsuko's division, and Ryan is ready; repairing an Evangelion is a lot easier than repairing a person, it seems. An announcement comes from the level below and the viewscreen comes to life:

A sound like female choir rolls across the hills, monotone and high-pitched. Birds escape the treetops in great flocks before the being coming towards Tokyo-3, little sparks of electricity arc and jump between the tall trees and its flat crystalline surfaces which reflect the blue morning skies, a halo faintly visible in the air above its octahedral shape. The 9th Angel digs a shallow groove in a hill as it slowly approaches the city, apparently uncaring of the surrounding landscape; artillery is bombarding the giant diamond-like Angel all the while, but to little discernible effect, its AT field shrugs the bombardment off with ease.

"Not quite as threatening as I had imagined it, I got to say," Misato mumbles, to the approving snicker of Makato and Shigeru. "Let's just hope it's not as powerful as the 6th," Ritsuko says in reply. "Unit-02 is ready for launch." Misato nods, and walks up to the mic connected to Unit-02, "Ryan, are you ready?"

–

"Born ready!" he exclaims, full of energy. Misato orders the launch and he speeds up towards Tokyo-3 inside the red Evangelion. Just as he sees sunlight at the top of the tunnel and braces for deceleration he can hear Maya shouting indistinctly about something and as the Evangelion impacts with the shock absorbers at the top of the shaft Misato breaks into the plug again, barking "Ryan, duck! Get down!"

He slams his hand down on a button on his right control handle which detonates explosive charges located throughout the mini-cage Unit-02 is locked onto on the launch pad, instantly shattering the structure and releasing him; he pulls the EVA into a roll to the right, crashing through a square full of abandoned sale stands just as a heat wave shoots past his left arm, and when he looks over his shoulder he can see that the top third of a building behind the launch pad has been sliced clean off, the metal smouldering and steaming as if pulled fresh out of the forge.

"Not happy, huh? That's what I call a budget cut," he mumbles to himself, and drags Unit-02 into a standing position again, turning to face the Angel hanging in the air a few blocks over. It's not too soon either; a black line going around the giant piece of angry geometry lights up bright white just as he does, as if charging. "Jesus christ!" he shouts in alarm and throws himself out of the way; another building is delivered a big, gaping hole where Unit-02 once stood, and this time he gets no respite before a third blast lands right at his feet. Leaping away and breaking into a sprint through Tokyo he starts circling the Angel in a desperate bid to outrun the energy beams. "Hello Central Dogma, some help?!" he shouts between dodging two blasts, and Misato responds, "We're opening all the weapon lockers throughout the city, grab whatever you come by!"

He nods and takes a look around himself, and indeed one of the large, military green buildings is coming up to his left; he snatches the assault rifle it contains on the fly and unchecks the safety. One more blast flies over his head and he comes up to a corner and he turns it, running right at the Angel; the white band flashes again and Ryan throws Unit-02 into a roll, ducking under the energy beam and ending up on his knees, gun pointing square at the Angel, and he shouts "AT field, full power!" The golden field manifests before Unit-02, shining brightly while the choir song around the Angel intensifies as if undignified or alarmed. He then pulls the trigger, letting rip on full auto against the octahedron as it's not exactly a difficult target to hit; the air between the two beings is rippled by the assault rifle's muzzle flash and the multitude of impacts upon the 9th Angel's AT field, resembling a pond when it rains in how each bullet impact creates its own ripple effect in the field.

The last few rounds in Ryan's magazine empties into the Angel's side when you can suddenly hear a sound like a mix of crashing glass and tearing paper, and the Angel's AT field breaks in two; blood and crystal flies every which way as the last few bullets tears bloody gashes in the Angel's side, wounds that bleed profusely despite there being nothing but more crystal beneath; Ryan gets very little time to be confused over this, however as the rim going around the Angel lights up again, glowing red for a second before a flash of white almost blinds him. He's wrapped up in a burning yet light and floating sensation, and when the blinding light receeds so that he can see there's nothing but blue sky, white fluffy clouds rushing by. Then suddenly something great and green comes into his field of view; he squints to try and determine what it is, and promptly lands face-first against a forested mountainside with such a force that he can feel the great mass of rock crack to the core beneath him.

 _Christ almighty… Seems I've got quite a mountain to climb with fighting this Angel…_ He pulls Unit-02's head out of the mountainside, shaking it to try to shake off the worst of a pounding headache, and just then Misato's voice carries through the intercom, "Ryan, what's your status? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," he replies, suppressing a groan as his ribs protest to his movements. Misato continues, "We're sending Rei in to assist you. Refrain from engaging the Angel directly for now and just keep its attention occupied."

"Roger wilco," Ryan says and gets Unit-02 onto its feet again. As he turns around he sees the Angel still occupying the same spot that it did when he shot it up a minute earlier, rotating horizontally very slowly. _Is it watching? Has it forgotten about me?_ _I dunno, what goes through the head of an unholy hybrid of Super-X and the starship Enterprise?_ He shrugs and rolls his head, Unit-02's neck crackling in a satisfying manner, and deploys one of his knives; while it folds out he glances around to see if his assault rifle is anywhere nearby, but it's nowhere to be found. _Oh well, it was out of ammunition anyway_. Then a small warning indicator to his left informs him that Unit-00 has arrived on the scene, and indeed when he looks up he can see it stepping out of one of the lift housings on the other side of the Angel.

And it's carrying with it a sniper rifle as tall as the Evangelion itself. _Oo-rah_. Rei then comes through the open comm channel, "Unit-02, please keep the Angel's attention while I set up. I'll snipe the core, do you copy?"

"Copy that, but you better be ready, you won't get a very large window of opportunity," he replies, weighing the knife in his hand and observing the Angel. "Will you be able to bring down its' AT field fully, Third Child?" Rei asks, he can hear the scepticism in her voice.

"Relax, Rei, and trust me. I do my part and you do yours, got it?"

"Trust you? Can you comply or can you not?" Irritation mix with the scepticism now.

"Yes, trust me. That's what comrades do; it's what friends do, alright?" He nods towards Unit-00 in the distance, offering a moment's friendly smile in Rei's direction, despite her not being able to see him; he then flips the knife over in his hand and breaks into a charge down the mountainside towards the Angel. He can see Rei putting her sniper rifle up in the distance, using a _fuckin' mountaintop_ as her tripod, and with a big grin growing on his face he urges his Evangelion forward with even greater vigour; he even pulls his second knife out just for the sake of it, and taps buttons on the top of their grips as he runs, making the blades glow with a dull white light.

Then just as Unit-02 enters the city proper again the Angel stops its peaceful spinning and a dull thud goes through the city centre over which it hangs, shattering every window in a kilometre radius as its AT field charges up fully, and the band going around it lights up; with Unit-02's own field running high Ryan can almost sense, feel it in his gut as the Angel charges up and fires, so that just as the purplish energy beam lances out towards the charging Unit-02 he ducks down and to the right. The beam strikes his AT field just over his left shoulder, and in a brilliant shower of gold and amethyst sparks the beam is deflected and shoots off into the sky. Seeing his opportunity Ryan throws his Evangelion into a mighty leap, over a low skyscraper and down at the Angel; he stabs down with both his knives, AT field surging as it meets the Angel's, and the two fields fold out and grow in all directions as they try to outmatch eachother, reaching out to encompass the entire city with their golden light.

The edges of his knives sparkle and shine where they meet the Angel's AT field, but it does not quite break. Then he suddenly hears Rei speak; "Maintain your posture, Unit-02. AT disruption round away," followed by a dull thud and an alarmed screech from the Angel; its AT field promptly collapses altogether, shards of gold raining down over Tokyo-3. Ryan grins and makes a mighty push, which digs his two knives deep into the Angel, one knife above the other right along the middle of it, and he shouts back, "AT field neutralized! Go for the core, Rei!"

"Acknowledged," she replies cooly, and a split second later an almighty _**BANG!**_ goes through the valley; the muzzle blast from Rei's sniper rifle shatters every tree on the mountaintop she perched the rifle on and blows down several more further down, and Ryan can for a split second have sworn he could see the boulder-sized slug as it plows through the air over four times the speed of sound; it impacts with a surprisingly underwhelming sound, resembling a single window shattering, passing straight through the Angel and plowing through the skyscraper Ryan jumped a moment earlier before finally falling to the ground. A fracture goes through the entirety of the Angel's body, intersecting perfectly Ryan's two knives. So he braces, and with a brutal effort that strains Unit-02's muscles to the maximum he pulls, and the Angel breaks in two beneath him; blood and crystal shower him as he falls down between the two halves, and he lands in a shallow pool of blood just as the two bisected pieces of the Angel crash to the ground around him.

Cheers and cries of hurray can be heard over the open comm channel to Central Dogma and he can't help but feel a little proud as he straightens out Unit-02 and holsters the two knives in his shoulder pylons again. He turns to the right and kneels down besides one of the two halves of the Angel; blood is still pouring out from all over the smooth and even surface, the path of the bullet profiled as a deep trench running straight through the Angel's body and the core, which lies shattered in its cavity. "Angel destroyed," he says over the cheerful bustle, stating the obvious just for the sake of bragging, just before he can hear the sound of Evangelion-sized footsteps approaching.

He rises again and turns to face Unit-00 as it comes up to the rim of the little pond of blood that's gathered around Unit-02's feet. It's carrying the oversized sniper rifle, its barrel alone as thick as the Evangelion's underarm; he raises his hand and gives Rei a thumbs up, "Beautiful two shots there, Rei. Seems I needed your help on that one after all." There's a tinge of embarrassment to his voice that despite his best efforts he can't hide, but instead of railing on him she remains silent; after a moment's silence Unit-00's head tilts slightly downwards and to the side, and she says, "N-no, the AT disruption round can't break an AT field on its own, it-… You did what I required of you. If you hadn't been there to force the Angel to focus all its' efforts on protecting itself from you, it would have destroyed me before I could take a killing shot. Good job."

There's something to Rei's tone as she says this, a sort of appreciation much warmer than he's ever heard from her before. _There might be a soul hiding in there after all,_ he thinks to himself with a wry little smirk. "Hey, I'm glad you were there to help! I'm sure we can _split_ the glory between us."

–

Misato allows herself a pleased little smile, hearing Rei's soft giggling at Ryan's disgraceful excuse for a joke. She can't argue though, it's the first time she's ever heard Rei laugh at anything, besides that one time Misato brought her over to watch The Life of Brian. She turns her head to glance in Ritsuko's direction, and to her surprise Misato can see that she is smiling a little as well. "It's a strange paradox, isn't it, that stressful and dangerous times are those that best bring people together?" she says in Ritsuko's direction, arms crossed casually across her chest; the blonde glances over and meets Misato's eyes, and the smile persists. She nods, hands sinking into her labcoat's pockets, "Yes. It brings back some faith in us as a species, that even someone like Rei can learn humility and be a little lighthearted."

Misato nods in return, and then walks up to Makato, patting him on the shoulder, "Alright, bring 'em in. Job well done, everyone!" She straightens out and stares out through the viewscreen, and a sinking feeling takes a hold of her; "Now to deal with the corpse of the Angel..."

–

–

Ryan heaves himself out of the plug seat and onto the raised platform raised up against the ejected entry plug; when he's climbed down to the umbilical bridge the platform is connected to Mari is there, wearing the biggest grin he thinks she's ever put on. "My my, aren't you a charmer," she says in a playful tone, giggling like a fourteen-year-old and slapping him on the shoulder.

"What?" He responds defensively, and can't help but grin himself, "What would you have me say then? Someone's gotta' teach her the meaning of love and friendship, and I sure as hell ain't leaving that to some pony with a tramp stamp."

They turn to walk down towards the locker rooms beyond the hangar as they talk; Mari snickers and pats Ryan on the shoulder in a patronizing manner, "Right. When you're done asserting your manhood over there, I thought I'd tell you that I was thinking about arranging some sorta' movie night, for the four of us pilots. Maybe we'll invite Misato too, I thought I'd ask you lot on that first."

Ryan looks over at Mari, eyebrows raised ever so slightly in surprise, "Where did this idea suddenly come from?"

"Well, you remember what Yui told us the other day about cross-synchronization trails? Us synching with Units 00 and 01 and Rei and Shinji with 02 and all that?"

"Yeah."

"I don't want to waste an opportunity like that to do some old-fashioned bonding, you know? The first time you hooked up to Unit-02 you said you instantly felt more familiar around not only her, but around me as well. Chances are it'll be the same this time, and so I figured we could have a movie night together the evening after." Mari looks over at Ryan with a hopeful expression, and he certainly doesn't laugh at her, although a big grin grows on his face nonetheless; he pats her on the shoulder and nods his agreement, "Now you're starting to sound like your mother, Mari; take every opportunity with cynical abandon." He chuckles softly to himself in a 'I-sound-so-dorky' sort of way, and then continues, "I think it's a good idea, and we should definitely invite Misato as well. Though, I assume that by saying 'invite Misato' you mean that we time the evening so that she won't be working at the time? We kinda' sorta' only have Misato's place to hold the party at in the first place."

"No, I thought we'd hold it in Central Dogma!" Mari exclaims, throwing her arms into the air as if she's received some grand revelation; before she can say something horribly sarcastic Ryan raises his hands defensively before himself, "Geez, take it easy! I just wanted to make sure you've thought it through." Mari shrugs, cracking a carefree little smirk, "That's why you're here, of course. You're going to the debriefing with Misato and the rest in a bit, you can ask Misato about all this then, 'kay?"

"Sure, I can do that," he replies with a nod.

A moment's silence pass as they walk, and the two teenagers come up to the door leading to the male locker rooms. "It's not like I disagree, though..." Mari says suddenly, she's got that tone to her when she somehow manages to sound both casual and serious all at once, "...about what you said to Rei. I've been through some hard times, if I didn't have you to confide in I doubt I'd have come out of it as well as I did."

Ryan stops, and puts a hand on her shoulder, gently squeezing it, "I know, Mari." A slightly more joking smile then grows on his face, "I'm also glad you learned at least a tinge of maturity from me while you were at it."

"Oh shut up, you," Mari retorts with a smile just as playful, "Go make yourself decent for Misato, and I'll catch Rei and Shinji and ask them about the movie night. See ya!"

– –

–

–

–

– –

The excitement and frenzied activity that permeates NERV during an Angel assault slowly died down to calmer levels, and Shinji left the base's central shelter area to wander about for a bit, a little lost for what to do; just as he's about to give up his hunt for somewhere useful to be and go home to Misato he spots his father out of the corner of his eye, standing out clearly in the crowd by his black jacket. Shinji changes direction and follows, to eventually catch up and fall in besides his father. Gendo glances down at Shinji with some surprise, hands falling to his sides from where they were previously clasped neatly behind his back, "Shinji? I had thought you would have left the base at this point, there's nothing for you here to do while Unit-01 is grounded."

Shinji nods in return, sliding his hands into his pockets. He must look quite disconsolate, whether he is trying to hide it or not, because Gendo continues by asking, "Is something the matter, my son? You look down-cast."

"W-well-…" Shinji stutters, taken slightly aback at his father being so observant and so direct, "Yeah, I... I figured I need some advice, I couldn't get any answers out of myself."

"Has it got to do with Unit-01?" Gendo asks, calmly but firmly, almost as if he was stating a fact rather than asking a question, and Shinji nods, "Yeah. I havn't told anyone, because I think I might be going insane, but when I was in hospital- at least I think it was when I was in hospital, I had a- a dream of sorts, or like a vision, I don't know what to call it..." He falls silent, not wanting to ramble, but all Gendo says for a reply is a thoughtful "Hm", gaze fixed somewhere in the roof above them, so Shinji continues, "I had a conversation with Mari, with Misato, with Rei, or at least it looked like it, all questioning me about Unit-01 a-and..."

"And whether or not you wanted to continue piloting it, after the Berserker incident," his father finishes, as if he knew exactly what Shinji was going to say, and indeed the teenager nods at this statement, "Yeah, it did. I told it yes, that I would, but I'm not sure..."

"Why would you not pilot it?" Gendo asks, glancing down towards Shinji again, and for the first time the question sounds like an actual question and not a statement. Shinji bites together, scratching his neck idly while debating what to tell his father; he finally speaks up again, "Because it scares me, okay? That thing's dangerous, who knows whether or not it's not going to destroy _us_ just as soon as the Angels?" He looks up towards Gendo, and his father does not immediately answer; he stares forward, as if there was a great empty void before them where the answers hide themselves. Shinji doesn't know whether or not to say anything, but Gendo finally breaks his silence, speaking in an uncharacteristically low and uncertain voice, "I knew that thing's motivations once, or at least I thought I did. Now, though, it's anybody's guess. You are most likely the one of us who knows best."

"That makes me feel so much more comfortable..." Shinji mumbles, turning a disheartened and a little irritated expression away from his father and into the floor before him. "I'm not just worried about my own skin, father, I actually worry about the rest of the world too."

"You're worried that piloting Unit-01 will have dire consequences for the world around you, and therefore do not want to pilot it? In that case," says Gendo with a resolute expression, "I believe it is time for me to reveal to you the purpose of your piloting Unit-01 in the first place. Come with me."

Gendo turns a corner, speeding his pace ever so slightly, and Shinji is brought out of his gloom through sheer surprise; when he's stumbled back to his father's side he looks up to Gendo, confused, "What do you mean, purpose? I thought that was the Angels? They seem like a good enough threat in and of themselves."

"Yes, but the situation in truth is even more dire than that, Shinji. You will understand in a short while, trust me; no more questions for now." They reach an elevator and Gendo takes up a keycard Shinji's never seen him use before and slides it through a slot next to the pad where you select which floor the elevator is to go to, and afterwards he inputs a seemingly random set of destinations into said pad; fourth floor, sixth floor, first floor, and so on. When done the entire pad flashes green, the lift starts moving, and Shinji suspects that it was some kind of code his father keyed in. _Clever hiding spot for a code number pad_ , Shinji thinks to himself as they go down.

Unable to help his curiosity, Shinji dares the question, "Where are we going?" He remembers a conversation he had with Rei not too long ago, at school; _"There is an expanse beneath NERV, a labyrinth leading to the great hall of the Primum Mobile. It is a graveyard and a cradle both, but for me it is merely a resting place, something in between the two; and yet it will have been both my cradle and my graveyard before all of this is over. They call it Terminal Dogma."_ He hadn't understood what Rei meant, only that it must hold some of NERV's most jealously hoarded secrets. He suspected that they might be going to that very place now, and indeed Gendo confirms his suspicions, "To Terminal Dogma, wherein lies the answer to your questions."

The elevator speeds ever downwards, descending in pace with the heat rising inside the elevator from the pleasantly warm up top to scorching sun hot when they finally come to a halt, and the elevator deposits them onto a fairly plain metal walkway leading along the bare rockface to their right; above, below and to their left a great hall extends far into the darkness. Shinji can only see clearly a few hundred meters ahead down the rectangular cavern, which is illuminated with a dim orange light coming from a tube sitting in the middle of a depression in the concrete floor, attached at the top to an enormous fixture that looks like hundreds of metal pipes of various sizes, fused together and all converging at the top of the tube, reaching into the cave's ceiling, which is easily tall enough for an Evangelion to stand upright beneath.

The metal walkway continues along the cave's wall, twenty meters above the floor below, taking a turn and then starting off into the darkness along the cave's side; a lone switch sits upon a pedestal at the corner, and when Gendo flips it a series of light fixtures hanging above the walkway come to light, providing a tunnel through the darkness permeating the rest of the enormous hall. They walk in silence, Shinji dumbstruck in awe of the sheer size of the place and the strange calm that descends upon him as they walk; the heat has fallen somewhat to an oddly comfortable but still very warm level, like a hot bath, and the complete and utter silence besides the clanking of his and Gendo's shoes against metal makes the whole place feel very serene.

They must have walked for almost ten minutes before anything changes, and yet Shinji felt like he could have continued to walk on forever in this place, but they do eventually reach a set of stairs that take them down to the concrete floor below; the echoing thuds of formal shoes and a pair of sneakers against the smooth floor echoes far and wide throughout the hall, giving him the impression of that church he visited once on his only trip to Europe.

They don't walk too far from the stairs before Gendo stops again and takes out his phone, and inputs a simple command; light fixtures high up in the ceiling start coming to life with resounding clanking noises and the whirring sound of generators, showing the way forward, and they follow. Eventually the lights illuminate the edge of a pool that stretches from the left wall to the right, and as the next set of light turn on Shinji can clearly see that the pool isn't filled with water and its colouration is a trick of the illumination; it's filled with LCL, a realization that strikes him just a moment before the smell does.

As the next and final set of light come to life, however, Shinji forgets all about the smell; at the other end of the small lake of LCL there stands a plain red cross the size of a sky-scraper, and a _thing_ is nailed to it. Something resembling a human, but skin featureless and white as fresh paper, its face covered by a purple mask with seven eyes arranged in two uneven rows. It's missing its legs, the only thing growing from the waist down being a slowly pulsating fleshy mass from which drips a steady stream of LCL down into the lake below. "Wh- what is that?" Shinji manages, stuttering more out of awe than fear for once.

"She is Lilith, Shinji," Gendo says in reply, "The first lifeform to walk this Earth. Her blood is the primordial soup from which life on Earth sprang, from which we ultimately evolved. Us humans are the pinnacle of Lilith's progeny, our ability to think for ourselves, to recognize and consider ourselves and to predict the future, and more besides, that is the heritage she delievered to us; all life before us had only the prupose of evolving into a thinking and reasoning human being. She is the egg from which humanity hatched."

"And the Angels want to destroy her?" Shinji ventures, a wild guess, but Gendo shakes his head, "Not quite. Destroying Lilith would not necessarily spell any major disaster for humanity, but the Angels are not planning to destroy her; if an Angel makes it to this chamber it will merge with her and force her to destroy us, so that the Angels can spread their own progeny on Earth instead."

Shinji blinks, slowly but surely digesting everything that Gendo is telling him. "But... The Angels, do they not have a-... A Lilith of their own? Their own progenitor?"

"Yes," Gendo says quietly, "Adam. He has been destroyed, and so Lilith is the Angels' only escape from extinciton."

"Could we not co-exist with the Angels? Do we have to resort to violence like this, surely they do not neet to destroy us in order to, uh, 'to spread their own progeny' across the Earth? Maybe they can live on Mars or something?"

Gendo shakes his head sombrely, "No. We have tried to parley with them, but communication is impossible; the Angels are nothing like us, they are not even technically sentient, at least not by our human definitions. We fight to protect Lilith from the Angels, because if we do not, then all life on Earth, along with its' culture and legacy, will be forever lost."

"Oh..." Shinji's eyes fall to the floor again, disappointed. Gendo clasps his hands behind his back again, staring up towards Lilith with a stern expression, "Now, to calm your doubts about Unit-01, Shinji. I won't give you a tall speech about duty, what your duty to anything or anyone is, is a much too nebulous concept for me. I won't tell you about morality either, that is for your mother to tell you, and I imagine she will in due time, I will simply say this: In the end, you will be judged only by yourself. If you in good faith can say that you can live with yourself and the choices you have made, then you've done all that can be asked of you. In the end we stand trial only to ourselves, and while the rules and morals of humanity may condemn you a hundred times over, you will have made peace with _yourself_ , and that is all that matters."

End of chapter 14.


	16. Pilot episode (14)

_Author's note_

Yeah, thought I'd forgotten about you didya? ;D

 _End of author's note_

 **Chapter 14: Pilot episode.**

It's been a while since last Yui became this excited over her work; to be quite frank, her work had grown a little boring over the last few months of fighting the Angels, as Japan already had built their two Evangelions and production was picked up in other countries. There would be a time for excitement again when Units 03, 04 and 05 are eventually shipped over of course, but that does not really compare to actually working on constructing one. All the long days spent with colleagues you love, up early in the morning to inspect and catalogue the results of yesterday's growth cycles, brainstorm over lunch about the day's activities, set up new tests and ideas to grow overnight! She smiles, leans back in the office chair and sighs. _We've come so far_.

The small smile that plays over her lips slowly starts to fade, however. Faces from the past surface, a face similar to her own in particular, twisted with pain; she sees a man dressed in a fine suit standing before an audience of the entire world lying his tongue black and she sees a mother, sitting in a hospital bed and playing with a stuffed doll she named Marianne in a delirious mockery of the one she loved above all else. Yui closes her eyes. Many sacrifices had to be made in order to make the Evangelions a reality, and she had to sacrifice more than most. Although, all things considered, it wasn't she who had to sacrifice, only those close to her, and she feels a tinge of guilt for feeling sorry for _herself_ when it was everyone else who had go put their lives on the line.

But she's angry all the same, even though she herself came out of it all with all limbs and her sanity still attached. She had lost the one whom she loved most of all, and someone or something had to take the blame. Might as well be the Evangelion itself, she thinks bitterly, staring out towards Unit-01 on the other side of the glass. It may have been worth it in the end, but that knowledge semdom works well in dulling out the pain and bitterness of loss.

All three of the EVAs are lined up in their cages, side-by-side, necks bent forward and the plugs sticking out, open and ready. She glares over at Unit-00, and Rei's face comes up as well; _And Ritsuko and Gendo allows that girl to just strut about freely. Ugh... How Gendo in particular can stomach her presence I do not understand. And Ritsuko almost speaks of her with pride, I do not know what disgusts me more-_

Speak of the devil, with a dull _vrrr_ the door opens and Ritsuko steps in, tapping furiously on her notepad and talking with, or rather _at_ Maya who's walking alongside with a haphazard bundle of papers. "We need to dig up those old blood pressure dampeners and pray to God that the L5 implants havn't rusted shut; Maya, remember to tell Yui that the team monitoring the Vessel's limiters needs to be doubled, I-"

"You can tell her yourself," Yui interrupts. "And I think you should worry more about Rei interfacing with Unit-01 than anyone else interfacing with Unit-00 and the Vessel."

Ritsuko looks up and mumbles off-handedly to Maya about 'the graphs'; she's handed a paper and then comes up to Yui's desk, notepad under her arm, "Yui, here are the MAGI predictions of the cross-synch test results. What do you think about the predicted results for the pilots' results with Unit-01?"

She leans back and scans the document. "Decent results across the board? For Mari and Ryan maybe, but I'm not convinced about Rei, like I said. Unit-01's A-10 headset equipment isn't designed for that kind of synchronization; it's like trying to re-install the already faulty operating system on a computer by connecting the hard-drive to itself somehow instead of just using a USB where you have a new and fully functional OS stored. It just won't work."

Maya looks up from her bundle of papers at that with a confused expression, looking quizzically over at Yui and is just about to open her mouth to speak but Ritsuko beats her to it, "Well Naoko never really agreed with you, did she? You see, Balthasar and Casper both were very positive whereas Melchior seems to've taken some... Convincing, from the other two cores. I have my doubts, but just for the chance to see what _actually_ happens I think it's worth it."

"I suppose you're right," Yui says and puts the paper down the desk, "Now that we're doing a major cross-synch test we might as well. The experience will benefit us, if anything, when the time comes to activate one of the dummies."

One week earlier:

The delivery of the dummy plugs had been a little sudden, shrouded in secrecy as they always have been; Yui had gotten only a few hours' heads-up before helicopters carrying long cargo containers began touching down at the primary NERV-3 special deliveries platform above-ground, the one surrounded by walls and missile batteries.

"It's a relief to finally have these on-site," Yui says to Gendo as they're observing them being transferred down to NERV proper. "Even though we're going behind you sister's back doing it?" he repliesä, hands-in-pockets.

Yui doesn't reply, her face turns down towards the floor instead with a frustrated sigh. "I was honestly under the impression we were developing them just to keep SEELE happy, not intending to atually use them" he continues, with a rare tone of surprise to his voice. "I've personally made sure there have been delays upon delays upon delays..."

"Are you going to step between me and the plugs for her sake?" Yui asks simply, eyes still turned downward. Gendo looks away and up at the final of three plugs being lifted through the enormous underground transport system, held by mechanical claws attached to a rail in the ceiling. He draws a deep breath and takes off his glases to clean the lenses, "Are we also going to go against her last wish of us two being able to function together in her absence, as well?"

" _You_ don't have to; I make my own desicions. To be blunt, I don't think all of her final words were... Rational. The way she deteriorated towards the end, her last words are up to interpretation. It's not like we're going to completely replace the pilots either way."

"Up to interpretation? I think I know her fairly well, she was very clear and precise with the few last words she got."

"She was _my_ sister, Gendo."

"And-"

"Don't even say it," Yui snaps, spinning on her heel towards Gendo, "This isn't a discussion, not unless you're going to threaten to tell on me to Dr. Akagi, which I doubt will do you any good. Regardless of my sister's mental state when she forbade the use of dummy plugs, we are going to have EVAs without pilots when the shit hits the fan some day, and those-" Yui gestures towards the plugs in the distance, "Are our only aces in the sleeve, unless the Angels are going to politely stand and wait while we scare up a replacement pilot."

No emotional reaction from Gendo, he just turns to stare down at Yui. She meets the gaze for a second, then turns and leaves, the echo of her shoes against the metal floor slowly fading just as the whirring of the mechanical arms holding the dummy plugs dissapear into the distance. He sighs and shakes his head _. Indeed I will be going to Dr. Akagi. I need to start prodding her regarding those cross-synch experiments again, it's just become a top priority._

Present:

"Ready, pilots?" echo through the hangar bay, and Shinji stares up at Unit-00 doubtfully. Just standing close to it feels odd, like you're trespassing. Regardless he replies "Ready" along with the others and climbs up the ladder to the bridge to the entry plug. The seat is designed a little differently compared to Unit-01 but he gets comfortable fairly well and simply sits to wait for the LCL to be pumped in. Maya reads off checklists, the EVA's systems power up around him and LCL starts rising from the bottom. As he closes his eyes and takes the first breath of the LCL he frowns; it smells weird, and he's taken back to that afternoon a rough month ago when he went to leave homework at Rei's place; it smells just like her room. _Now it_ really _feels like trespassing_ , he thinks and glances instinctively over at the display showing the interior of the other plugs to see if Rei is looking back at him, dissaprovingly. Thankfully she isn't.

"Alright, cross-synch experiment is a go. Start primary synchronization," Ritsuko announces, and a loud _clank_ from somewhere beneath Shinji is swiftly followed by the entirity of the plug going orange, a barely distinguishable black line like a horizon stretching from one corner of his field of view to the other, then comes a second _clank_ and everything sluggishly transitions from red to then blue and finally after a third _clank_ the screens and computer interfaces of the entry plug come to life, he can see out of the plug.

"Is everything alright with the entry plug settings, ms. Akagi? Are all the lights and flashing normal?" comes from Rei in Unit-01. "I was about to ask something similar, you don't have that in Unit-00?" Shinji says back, confused, having thoughts that it was the norm.

"Your Evangelions use slightly different synchronization mechanisms. Unit-00's are a little less efficient, so the 'lights and flashing' aren't present," says Ritsuko, off-handedly, "There seem to be no initial problems. You know the drill, pilots: just sit back and relax for now."

Shinji sighs, and leans back fully in the seat, adjusting his position slightly. It really does feel like sitting in the couch in someone else's home, everything is unfamiliar and it smells wrong; not that he wouldn't be able to operate the EVA, he still recognizes where the buttons are and he feels like he can get some basic movements out of Unit-00 like moving fingers and looking from side to side. But there will be time for movement tests later, and he settles for a long sit-out while the adults crunch the numbers. Keeping from falling asleep shouldn't be too hard at least, there's that faint droning noise in the background to keep him company. _Actually, about that,_ he suddenly thinks and focuses all efforts on listening. It's not just some droning noise that might come from a piece of tech this older model has to contend with, it sounds an awful lot like...

Like whispering. Like a voice, or perhaps several, he's not sure. He's not even sure it is whispering, it wouldn't be the first time the EVAs played a trick on him, but occasionally he could swear he can discern a word or two, echoing up from the plug's dark bottom. He shifts in his seat and listens, trying to focus on one particular voice which seems to be the most prominent:

 _"Discovered 'neath the frozen lake..."_

 _"The frozen lake, afloat the top of the sphere..."_

 _"And Lilith stands watching over the throne of the soul..."_

 _"The throne of the soul... The throne of the soul... The throne of the soul..."_

Shinji grimaces and opens his eyes; he suddenly feels a little sick, like a knot in his stomach. "Shinji, what are you doing?" Yui suddenly asks, "Your synch ratio just took a tumble, what's wrong?" He's thankful for something else to focus on than that voice; he belatedly also notices he'd let go of the two hand controls on either side of the seat, and grips them again as he responds, "Nothing, I'm just... Getting used to Unit-00, don't worry."

He leans back again and closes his eyes; the voices are still there, deep in the background but he does his best to shut them out and just relax. His synch ratio slowly settles again, albeit at a very low percentage and he drifts off to a shallow, barely-awake half-sleep he usually descends into when doing synch tests since you're allowed to do basically nothing during the test's duration, including sleeping. While sitting there, alternating between listening to Maya and Risuko and Yui reading off status reports and simply staring into the back of his eyelids he dreams; only vaguely, not much stays in his memory, but every time he opens his eyes to look at the time he remembers a white landscape and a grey sky, a low hill topped by a massive black monolith with a beaked and seven-eyed face carved into it.

"Alright you all, let's see how well you can move your EVAs," Ristuko says suddenly, breaking Shinji out of the half-sleep limbo. He rolls his shoulders and stretches to get his blood pumping while the EVA is let loose from the "moorings" keeping it in place against the wall, and it lurches forward slightly, then straightens out. "Standard procedure," Ritsuko continues, "Basic movement and hand-eye coordination first."

He steps the EVA out into the room to do the exercises, but about three quarters through they break it off because Shinji barely manages to get Unit-00 moving; when he starts complaining of a building headache they have him bring Unit-00 back to the dock and he's let out.

"It felt wrong, like remote control rather than like being an extension of the EVA. Try controlling two eyes on a head on a neck, ten fingers on two hands and a pair of legs at the same time, individually, with just a pair of joysticks," he says with an air of utter confusion as he gets out of the entry plug, talking into the communicator attached to the outside of the entry plug. "Probably compatibility issues with your mind," Ritsuko says, "Unit-00 is a little... Special, in that regard. It is just a prototype after all."

"How does Rei control it so well, then?" he asks back, glancing up at Unit-00. Ritsuko hesitates for a moment, taking a moment to pick her words and she says a little dismissively, "You'll have to ask your mother. I did not design the system and, I'm sorry to say, I don't fully understand it myself."

Yui is preoccupied, so Shinji has to content himself with quizzically staring up at Unit-00 for now, as if it would tell him itself if he coaxed hard enough. He leaves for the locker rooms, and settles down on a bench in front of a ceiling-mounted screen to watch the others complete their own exercises.

Rei is taking out his Unit-01; she seem to be doing alright, although he's hearing chatter that her synch ratios are wildly irregular. One minute she's pulling a Type 04B EVA pistol apart twice as fast as he could thanks to an almost 100 % synchronization, and the second she can't even fit the magazine back into it because her synch ratio has fallen close to 20 %. You can tell by her voice as she reports her progress that the inconsistent ratios are frustrating her, but she continues on nonetheless.

Over with Ryan, nothing of note really happens whatsoever; he's having a regular synch test with Unit-02, because otherwise there would have been one round of test where Unit-02 just sits around doing nothing and Yui wouldn't have any of that, and besides Ryan could, quote-on-quote, 'use all the extra time he can get to catch up to Mari in terms of raw synch time'. Fair enough. He'd made the comment that he gets to be a seat-warmer while he's at it, to which Mari responded that he doesn't need to, the pilot chair has built-in heating with a grin larger than the Cheshire Cat pointing squarely in Shinji's direction. Not fair.

Then the test eventually come to an end, and a short 'recess' is called for the pilots while Yui, Ritsuko and the others fawn over the data. Shinji remains in the locker room thinking about what Unit-02, which is his next hook-up, is going to be like to pilot; it wasn't made in Japan so the interface will probably take a little getting used to, even if it has got to have an option for japanese labelling and voice commands and so forth. Mari and Ryan both communicate with everyone else in perfectly good japanese but you can often catch them talking to Unit-02 in english.

In the midsts of his ruminations he suddenly hears Rei's voice calling his name, at very close range; he snaps out of his own world and spins his head around looking for her, but it's not until he scans one of the three corners she could be hiding behind for the third time that he even sees her standing there. She steps forward, both hands still holding onto the corner of a locker in a shy sort of way, not immediately saying anything; Shinji frowns and stands up, not sure exactly what to think, "Rei? Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"No, I know you didn't."

"Uhm... You know you're in the wrong half of the locker room, right?" He rolls his shoulders, suddenly feeling quite stiff from having sat in front of the monitor for so long.

"Of course I know, otherwise I wouldn't have come here to look for you. I just wanted to talk with you for a little while, if... If I may."

Shinji shrugs and sits down again, "I guess. We have some time before we need to return to the EVAs. You actually look a little shaken, what's the matter?"

Rei's lips become a thin line and she looks away from Shinji, her hands fidgetting by her sides, "I... Believe I may have intruded upon something, when I piloted Unit-01. Something personal, for you."

A deep frown creases Shinji's eyebrows, and for a moment he only stutters before he releases a confused "...Huh? You... What do you mean? I don't have magazines in there, Rei, the worst you could have found is that I dented one of the left-hand control panel's buttons slightly, I-"

"No, I don't mean like that, Shinji," Rei interrupts, but he's rendered silent only half because she broke into his sentence; she almost never uses his name in conversation like this, at least he can't remember her doing in recent times. And she didn't sound angry, either. She continues, "I mean... Like a memory. During a brief synch ratio peak I saw something. I saw a playground, and a child building a pyramid in the sand while his mother watched from one of the swings, and she said something about..."

She falls silent, her cheeks so red you might think they'd been touched by hot irons. Shinji just stares, his mouth hanging ajar and neither one of them says anything for several seconds. Eventually he blinks and mumbles, "I barely remember that myself, I definitely wouldn't have if you hadn't mentioned it... And you saw this? In the EVA?"

"Y-yes... I wanted to tell you I did, in case you thought it was something personal. It would be disrespectful to keep it to myself," Rei replies, quietly, only periodically meeting Shinji's incredulous gaze. "I promise I will not tell anyone else."

"Well, it... It's not _very_ personal, really, I think it's just me and my mother when I was little. But thank you anyway for letting me know, I suppose," Shinji says and gets onto his feet, coming to stand at arm's length from Rei, putting on a small smile, "You don't have to be embarrassed, I'm sure you wern't rummaging around in there for my private thoughts on purpose."

Rei nods softly and manages a small smile of her own, looking up to meet Shinji's eyes, "I'm glad you think so, I was afraid you'd be angry."

Shinji blinks. He had never experienced this sort of mood in Rei, and he isn't quite sure what to say to it, so he resorts to humor and pats her on the upper arm all friendly-like, "How could I? I wouldn't dare cross you after you slapped Toji; he had a mark on his cheek for a week afterwards."

Rei opens her mouth to say something, but she stops at other voices appoaching from the locker room entrance; it's Mari and Ryan by the sounds of it. She blinks, mutters "I should go," and it's almost as if she vanishes into thin air how quick she's left and her footsteps faded. Shinji remains standing there, dumbfounded at what he's just experienced for almost a full minute until Ryan comes around the same corner with a towel around his neck. "You look like you've seen a ghost, man," he comments with a wry grin as he walks past Shinji and to his locker.

– –

–

–

–

– –

"Starting primary synchronization," Maya anncounces cheerfully while Ritsuko sips a cup of coffee behind her. Yui is staring intently down at a graph showing Ryan's mental and physical stats as they slowly push up his synch ratio with Unit-00. Three lines waving up and down like an oscilloscope slowly merge and separate and merge again, with various pieces of data being displayed next to the end of each line to the left of the graph, some which Yui writes down onto a noteblock for later analysis. Ritsuko is more interested in the readings on Maya's screen, showing how the EVAs's systems are reacting to synchronization with their new pilots.

As they synced up to the new pilots slight changes occoured to the fundamental biologies of the EVAs; Shinji being male and as such slightly more muscular than Rei simply because genetics seem to have made Unit-00 widen the various arteries leading to muscles across its' body to provide greater blood flow, and the reverse happened to Unit-01 with Rei. "You don't think this can cause issues, having the EVAs reconfiguring themselves at this level so often over such a short timespan?" Maya asks over her shoulder, indicating the readings. "The cybermetabolic systems for each Evangelion are incredibly sensitive."

"Not quite as sensitive as you might believe," Ritsuko calmly states, "They won't function quite as well under these circumstances but we made sure they were flexible enough for experiments like these when me and my team designed them."

"You knew these changes would occour?" Maya replies, surprised. She had been close to panic when the bone fibers in Unit-01's arms and legs started to deteriorate very slightly, believing there was some manner of malfunction, "That the pilots would affect their Evangelions in this manner?"

Ritsuko nods, "Yes, and you can thank Yui and _her_ team for predicting it. That the EVAs have a mental impact on the pilots was definitely to be expected; even when each pilot first synched to their choosen Evangelion it changed them, it is just harder to tell when you synch up to an EVA that's actually meant for you to begin with. To think that a human soul could affect something as powerful as Angel biology was not something I would have guessed personally, but here you have it," she says with a gsture towards the readings.

Maya slowly nods her head, silent for a moment before speaking up again, "But, surely you actually knew about it from empirical evidence before today, doctor?"

"Oh, yes of course," Ritsuko replies off-handedly, reading a printed document from one of her own MAGI interface consoles; it reads off MAGI predictions that are finished and printed out once every ten minutes, because of the sheer brutal amount of calculating that has to be done; variables and random chance is very predominant and the computers need to re-run the calculations several hundred thousand times to see what is even reasonably likely to happen. "There was an Evangelion unit called Unit-0X, back at Bethany Base before the accident. That EVA actually had three different pilots."

"Really?" says Maya, "Did that work well?"

"Not especially, not with _three_ of them. When the third was introduced they all started to suffer from psycological problems, and the EVA developed several strange genetic issues that neccesitated the removal of all of its' limbs, to be replaced with fully robotic parts. To quote a popular old movie, _it was more machine than human_ at the time of the incident with the third Angel."

"And damn expensive the whole venture was, too," mutters Fuyutsuki as he makes his entrance on the bridge from one of the elevators. "How are you doing? No mishaps I hope?"

"Missing Misato, if she's not with you," Ritsuko says at length and with some surprise, looking behind the deputy commander. "She'll be here in a minute," he reassures, "Stuck in traffic, you know how Tokyo-3 is this time of day."

"Fair enough," Ritsuko mutters, and turns back to scanning the instruments on Maya's computer panel. "It'd be easier to evaluate the Evangelions's performance with her here, I havn't got a clue on how to dissasemble a firearm, or how fast one is naturally expected to for that matter."

"She'll evaluate the video footage later," Fuyutsuki says and turns to head for the little lift going up to the Comamnder's desk at the top of the command central, currently empty, "If you have any questions you may ask me, I've done my time in the JSSDF and know a thing or two about how to use a gun."

"Yes, deputy commander," Ritsuko and Maya reply in unison, and turn back to their tasks. Misato does arrive ten minutes later, apologizing hastily before skipping over to Makato's station to help him with tactical analysis. It's Ritsuko's job to know all the technicalities of Alternate Pilot Synchronisation and understand how it works on a practical level andthat is one thing, but to translate that knowledge into a tactical analysis of how the EVAs will perform in combat is another and that is Misato's job, while Yui runs between consoles and takes notes in order to compile a scientific theoretical groundwork for future development.

The passive synchronization phase proceeds without incident, and the EVAs are once again let out of the docks to do their exercises. To everyone's surprise Ryan, who's at the helm of Unit-00, has nothing but good things to say about the EVA: "It fits like a glove, control. I don't get what all the fuzz is about," he remarks with a hint of amusement, and indeed the numbers seem to confirm it. No technical hitches or unstable synch ratios, although he never gets far above 40 %, compared to around 80 % in Unit-02.

While everyone else is busy being surprised over Ryan's success with Unit-00, Misato bends down to the mic in Makato's console and connects to the EVAs, "Hey Mari, how are you doing with Unit-01?"

"Hmpf," she replies, in an exaggerated tone of contempt and displeasure, "This older model handles like a hunk of metal on a ski, can I please have my Unit-02 back?"

"Hey!" Shinji cries out from Unit-02, "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"That Unit-01's tech is so old, it's like walking neck-deep through suryp whilst trying to type an essay on your notepad at the same time."

"Well I can see that you've been spoiled, piloting _this_ thing all your career," he retorts in exasperation, "I might as well sit down in Central Dogma and let Unit-02 do the job on its own, _even_ _without_ any berserk incident, this thing practically pilots itself!"

"What, you think I don't have to put any effort into fighting, huh?"

"That's what this feels like, alright!"

Misato throws her head back in a hearty bout of laughter at the two arguing, and Yui straightens out from her bent posture so that she can smile up at the monitors showing the three EVAs, "We are certainly lucky in one of the Evangelions' little eccentricities."

"What is that?" Ritsuko asks over her shoulder, an amused little smile playing over her lips as well. Yui crosses her arms loosely about her torso and leans back against the edge of the desk, "Because building friendship has a positive impact on their piloting performance. Look." She indicates the graphs showing Evangelion synch rates; both Shinji and Mari's rates have jumped and are holding 4% higher. "It's one of those things that just makes me smile when I see it."

"It's good to have something to be happy over, alright," Misato injects, shooting a smile in Yui's direction, "But I'm happy enough that these cross-synch test are working at all."

"Don't you jinx it," Makato mumbles from his seat, which prompts a little chuckle from Misato and a pat on the shoulder, "Please, we've deserved some good luck."

–

–

Rei gives the command, and Unit-02 lurches forward, stepping away from the docking ports. She frowns; the interface is much more refined and easier to use, but her synch ratio is anything but fantastic. She would not like to imagine having to fight an Angel alone in Unit-02, but nonetheless she starts doing her exercises as ordered: basic manipulation of an unloaded pistol, taking it apart and back together to test eye-hand coordination and finger motorics, and some lifting after that to see how much power she can get out of the EVA's muscles.

After a good while of this she slowly starts to feel the Evangelion becoming a little easier on her, as if it's grudingly allowing her more control. She also notices something else; before starting the exercies she had felt almost no kinds of impressions from the EVA's subconciousness, no probing or attempt at manipulation like Unit-00. It had felt strangely empty, no second conciousness pushing very gently against her own, but as the minutes creep on a certain warmth begins rising up from the plug like an invitation. It pulls at her attention, wanting to be noticed and listened to; at once she's on edge, and years of hard mental conditioning against these sorts of behaviors take over completely. With a determined effort she raises her head up high and runs a mental exercise to help ward off the encroachment.

But even as she's sitting there doing her level best not to, she suddenly recieves an impression. Upon opening her eyes again can see a single, ethereal hand reach up from the depths of the entry plug, which has now turned a dark shade of red. It lays to rest on top of Rei's own as she's gripping the butterfly handle and a single thought, a name and an emotion shoots through her mind. Finding it hard to fight against the increasing pull from the presence beneath, a soul whose AT field is so much stronger than her own, she looks down and shakes her head, "No, I am not her," Rei says, calm and collected, "I heard you two were quite good colleagues, back in the day."

For a moment there's nothing, complete silence and stillness, but like the flip of a switch the plug suddenly goes pitch black and Rei can feel it being yanked down towards Unit-02's core; a crystalline crimson red begins consuming the plug interior in gulps, and realizing roughly what is about to happen Rei slams her fist down on a button located on top of her right-hand controls which stops the progress of the plug before she herself is enveloped, and she activates the wireless radio located on the collar of her plugsuit as the EVA's comms have gone offline, "NERV command, this is Rei local; Unit-02 is attempting to physically wrestle control from me, I-"

There's a flash of white, and the plug's walls turn into a sea of chalk filled with stars of gold, and the semitransparent shape of a woman appears above her. Its' hand touches Rei's own, gripping the control handle with her which sends a tingling sensation through Rei's skin, and she finds herself frozen in place as the ghost-like apparition reaches up and touches her connector headset.

A tidal wave of impression washes over her, and then suddenly pain sears through her like an electric shock, every nerve catching fire and every limb seizing up. She screams, out of both surprise as well as from the agony the touch is causing her, and she clutches the sides of her head in animalistic desperation to escape the pain; she claws at her temples and her fingers slide over her A-10 connectors, which she throws away from herself with a whimper, and suddenly the torture stops. There's a loud _clank_ and the plug goes dark, her piloting seat on standby mode as it is when the Evangelion is active but without a synchronized pilot, and Rei breathes out.

Then the Evangelion moves. A lurching movement, stumbling, as if regaining its' balance after an attack of vertigo.

 _I'm_ _not synchronized_ , she thinks, perplexed, _It should be physically incapable of movement_.

 _Don't worry, girl, I won't harm you further_ , someone suddenly whispers, the female voice echoing up from the depths of the entry plug, _I have something I need to do._

–

Rei's screaming can be heard loud and clear by everyone inside the control centre and they just freeze where they stand, the few seconds of agonized shrieking the only sound exempt for Ritsuko's cup of coffee shattering against the floor below her. Then every alarm concievable starts blaring, and a controlled panic grip the staff as they scramble to identify the problem. Maya's fingers flash over the keyboard as she reads off the MAGI analysis, "Unit-02 has gone berserk! We're no longer in control!"

"Status!" Yui barks to Ritsuko.

"The primary neurograph has flatlined," she replies, remarkably calm, "Rei's vitals are fine but her connection to Unit-02 is almost completely non-existent."

"How's that possible?!" Misato shouts back. Yui comes over to Maya's console and pales as she reads, realisation dawning on her, "It's not berserking, it's not acting through Rei at all. My god, Unit-02 has become self-aware!"

"What difference does it make?" says Misato.

"During a berserker activation the Evangelion is still connected to its pilot and they both control the unit's body together, even if only at a subconcious level on the pilot's side, so you can rely on the Evangelion's motive being in line with the pilot's. But now Unit-02 is acting completely under her own free will."

Outside, the EVA slowly rises from its' prone stance over the bulletless dissasembled machinegun before it and turns around towards the reinforced glass separating it from the command staff in the control room. For a moment it just stares, and then it affixes its' gaze squarely upon Yui. Faceplates slide up to reveal four bright white-shining eyes that narrow as it sees her standing right in the middle of the room shouting orders, only just noticing where the Evangelion's attention is fixed.

"Watch out!" she shouts, and a moment later Unit-02 sends its' fist straight into the glass barrier with such force that the glass specifically designed to protect from this very event cracks and bends but doesn't shatter outright. A second blow, however, starts sending shards flying and Maya and Makato abandon their consoles furthermost forward at Fuyutsuki's orders; thankfully the gap between the floor and the ceiling is thinner than Unit-02's fist and so it manages mostly to bend and twist the metal wall around the window.

–

Rei keys a command into the panel on her right control handle and a small holographic screen appears in front of her, projecting the images from a camera on Unit-02's forehead that works independently of the Evangelion's systems at large; some of the entry plug's systems are completely independent of the unit's own electronics. The video feed shows the Evangelion raining down blows upon the reinforced glass shield protecting the command central, threatening to break through so it can get at the personnel inside. _Why aren't they running? They must think they can bring Unit-02 under control,_ she thinks.

 _I'd like to see them try,_ the voice whispers.

Rei zooms in; she sees Misato standing there staring out at the EVA with an equal mix of defiance and fear, and furthermost back in the room with Yui's right arm in front of him stands Shinji, who must have gone to the command room for a lack of better things to do. Her heart skips a beat, but then she forcefully reminds herself that they can easily leave the room if Unit-02 got too close. "You know you cannot hurt them from here, if they choose to leave the command central," Rei points out to the Evangelion, and a moment later the beating stops. It straightens out, and the voice drifts up from the plug's bottom again. _Hmpf... Maybe I will have to contend myself with destroying Yui's favourite toy instead,_ it whispers, and Unit-02 turns towards the wall separating it from where Unit-01 is housed. It takes two steps towards the wall and cracks its' knuckles, but then suddenly stops, frozen, and the voice is there again, _But... If you are not Yui, even though you are so similar..._

"...No,"says Rei, "She's in there in that command room you just tried breaking into."

There's a long, long silence. Rei can practically feel the Evangelion thinking and processing this revelation and how it debates the consquences; the red light emanating from the bottom of the plug flickers erratically. Unit-02 glances back over its shoulder towards the command room where Yui and Shinji still stand, and the voice says, _Nooooo... You couldn't have. Yui, how could you be so cruel to him?_

Then there's another loud clanking noise, and Rei can hear the Evangelion power down around her. The plug goes completely silent and dark as pitch, but then Misato's voice comes in through her collar-mounted speaker, "Rei, are you alright?"

She blinks, still somewhat struck by Unit-02's last words, but with a little fumbling she reaches up for the mic and presses the button that lets her respond, "Yes, I am unharmed. Have you managed to disable Unit-02?"

"Affirmative, we disabled the main power and disconnected the emergency batteries; Mari will come over in Unit-00 in a minute and pick you up." The walls between the rooms have gates for situations exactly like these, so either of the other EVAs would be able to access her without having to break the wall down. Rei acknowledges and keys a command into her seat, as its still running from an independent generator. The plug lurches and surges upwards, and then drains, after which the hatch opens and light floods into the plug. Rei climbs out and waves from the opening to the command central, and then settles in to wait while the gates slide open and admit Unit-00 into the room. It exentds its' hand palm up, and carries Rei away and to Unit-00's docking station; after depositing Rei on the walksways surrounding the dock Unit-00 turns around and locks itself in, the plug shoots out of its' neck, but no Mari emerges from it.

Frowning, Rei circles the plug and slowly steps up to the little reised platform where you step up to the plug hatch, and she looks inside. Mari is there alright, gripping the controls almost feverishly and biting her lower lip, her breathing very heavy. "Mari, are you alright?" Rei says, in pefrectly normal and casual tones and Mari starts at Rei's voice. She stammers for a moment and bites her tongue, shaking her head. When she tries again her voice almost cracks from worry and fear, "Rei I am so sorry for what just happened, I have no idea why Unit-02 would do anything like that! We all heard you scream and I was so worried Unit-02 had sucked your mind out through the back of your neck or something, o-or..."

Mari trails off and Rei's blinks in sheer dumbfound surprise on realizing what's got Mari so upset and pale. She presses her lips into a thin line, momentarily at a loss for words, and she simply leans into the plug and holds out a hand to Mari, "I was not hurt, I am fine. Is that not enough?"

Mari bites her lips again and only tentatively takes Rei's hand. Once she has a foot fast on the metal floor of the docking station she pulls Rei into a tight hug, her voice hoarse, "I couldn't have lived with myself if my Unit-02 had hurt you."

Rei's mouth hangs open, confusion playing over all of her as she stands there unable to decide what to say or what to do with her hands, but one particular thing that Mari blurted out she catches on to, and she says, " _Your_ Unit-02? Would you have blamed yourself if it had hurt me?"

"Of course! How could I not?!" Mari blurts out, getting out of the hug but grips Rei instead by the shoulders, the two girls staring into eachother's eyes. "How could I not?" she repeats, a little softer, "God, Rei, I'm so sorry, I..."

"Mari, please, get a hold of yourself," Rei says, borderline stern, "Even if I got hurt, how could you possibly be to blame? The event was out of your control, why are you so upset with yourself worrying that I might be angry with you? Unit-02 isn't a pet, it's not _your_ responsibility."

Mari stammers out something along the lines of "Well, I..." but fails to get anything solid out, and her lips become a thin line; a moment later a door opens to Rei's left and Misato along with Ritsuko and Shinji comes through, cutting off anything else Mari might want to say.

– –

–

–

–

– –

Shinji sits alone in the cafeteria, cupping a glass full of steaming hot chocolate, staring into the wall in the far distance. Both Rei, Mari and Ryan are still down in the deeper levels of NERV, being 'debriefed' regarding Unit-02's recent rampage; Rei because she was inside the EVA, and Mari and Ryan because it's 'their'Evangelion. Shinji got a few questions and stern looks for having been the Evangelion's last occupant prior to Rei but then he was sent off and the other three remained. _It's bad enough that the Eva can go berserk because of high synch ratios or whatever, but now they can just take control from us like that at will? And Unit-02 is supposed to be the most advanced Eva we have._

"Shinji, how do you feel?" a voice asks suddenly and upon looking up he sees Yui coming up to his round little table with a hot steaming cup of her own; if you didn't hear the concern in her voice you can clearly see it in her face. She pulls up a chair and sits down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. It feels comforting, and only now as he relaxes does Shinji realize how tense he's been. He breathes out through his nose and shrugs, "I dunno... I feel selfish for it considering Rei was _inside_ Unit-02 when it happened, but seeing it going like that just helbent on getting to you..."

He turns to his mother, hesitating but then he asks, "Mom, can we actually really control the Evangelions, really?"

Yui puts down the cup of coffee and steals one of Shinji's own hands, holding it instead, "Of course we can. As far as Ritsuko and I can figure the cause of this incident was actually Rei, Unit-02's systems just can't work with her."

"Rei?" Shinji says, frowning, "How do you mean? What happened?"

"Unit-02 managed to bypass Rei somehow. The Evangelion's central command system usually connects to the EVA's physical body through the pilot's own mind, which acts like a bridge of sorts, and thankfully we have managed to design a system where the pilot can... Okay, I won't bore you with details, but suffice to say the Evangelion's control system relies entirely on going through the pilot, and in so doing the pilot takes control. Only this time, Unit-02 managed to complete that little curcuit without Rei, it bypassed her and took direct control. It could only do this because, well... Rei just isn't quite like the rest of us. Her mind works differenly from ours."

"What? How do you mean 'different'?" Shinji's frown deepens.

"Ask her, she knows best," is all Yui says, and takes a sip of her coffee for the sake of finality on the matter.

"But... you must have known about this. How could you overlook that?" says Shinji.

Yui sighs. "The United States NERV branch have always been a little stingy with sharing technical specifications beyond what's necessary with us, and information on the little piece of code that made this whole disaster possible was not in the package we got because they didn't think it was relevant. Turns out nobody atScarleton HQ had bothered asking for biological specs for the pilots _here_ in case of a cross-synch test, 'it will be fine' someone had said and it was dropped as a concern."

"That sounds very sloppy." Shinji says with a disliking grimace, a criticizing expression you usually don't see in him. Yui only nods, looking down at her cup of coffee. Shinji grinds his teeth thoughtfully, and then mumbles, "So this one time it was a fluke, NERV messed up, it could easily had been avoided, okay... But still, what if you can't just cut the power next time? When Evangelions go berserk, havn't they moved on their own power before? What if there's no stopping it next time?"

Yui blinks, a frown growing on her forehead also at this point, "Shinji, what are you so afraid of?"

"That there _won't_ be a stopping it next time. Who knows what damage a crazed Evangelion could do? It could destroy all of Tokyo-3. Isn't there any better way of fighting the Angels?"

"Destroy Tokyo-3? Shinji, that's absurd. I promise you it will never happen, okay? I'm going to get back down to the other pilots' debriefings and make sure they're not left down there all night, you had a party planned didn't you?" Yui smiles, gently squeezing Shinji's hand. He stares into his untouched hot chocolate for a moment but decides to let his mother change the subject, and he nods, "Yeah, we are. I'll be here when they're let out."

"I'll let them know," Yui says and gets on her feet, smiling, "Eva isn't dangerous, Shinji. They don't want to see humanity destroyed any more than you or I." She squeezes his shoulder, and then walks off to one of the elevators on the far side of the giant cafeteria, opposite the windows showing a Geofront draped in the early twilight.

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"Ugh... I never expected that kind of spanish inquisition..."

Ryan scratches his neck and rolls his shoulders with audible clacking noises. "Hmpf," comes from Misato, a wry little smile playing over her lips as they climb the last set of stairs and arrive at their level of the apartment block, "You came off pretty easily you know, had Commander Ikari been here he would _not_ have let us go just because we had a cozy lil' movie night planned. Your mom's a real angel sometimes, Shinji."

"Yeah... Yeah she is," he replies, bringing up the rear and not paying too much attention to the others; his mind is still on what Yui said about Rei earlier today. _Sure, she's pale and has those red eyes, but... And her lacking social skills I always assumed were just that, lacking social skills. I don't get it. Must be something else._

"I can't believe they actually suspected us of having caused this somehow," Mari says, arms crossed firmly over her chest, her tone not exactly one of outrage but certainly a little sour, "Intentionally or otherwise, I would have thought we have proven ourselves by now." She refrains from looking up at Misato, the latter also replying without turning her head down, "Nobody wants to let the Angels win, Mari, but there are still several different... Interests, growing around this war we're fighting. I've heard a mech of some sort is in construction, fully mechanical unlike the Evangelions, that would be able to function without a power cable and limited batteries because of the nuclear reactor that could be fitted onto it, and it'd be remote-controlled and everything."

"And they _would_ like to discredit the Evangelions, to make way for their own products, for prestige if anything," mutters Ryan, and he pats Mari on the shoulder, "Don't let it get to your head, Ritsuko and the others are just scared things will spiral out of their hands, that's all."

"There's a word of wisdom," says Misato, and Mari seems to tense down a little, "I guess."

They come up to Misato's apartment and as she unlocks the door Shinji holds a hand up, saying "You guys go on in, I just need to talk to Rei a moment." Misato is already through the door, Ryan just shrugs and goes on in, but Mari remains half-way in for a moment, her face only half visible past the door frame, one hand still lingering there as if hesitating. Shinji and Mari's eyes meet for a moment, and in that moment he's brought back to something he'd been feeling ever since he got out of Unit-02; they both know something about one another now, he and Mari. They both sense it, he knows she senses it in him, yet neither one of them knows for sure what it is or waht they should do about it. Mari's eyes shift to Rei coming up next to Shinji for a moment, and then back to him; then something is silently communicated between the two, and Mari slips in through the door and leaves it slightly ajar, and Shinji is alone with Rei.

"What is is?" Rei asks. He could have sworn he heard a hint of anxiety in her voice, worry perhaps over what he might have to say. Shinji walks over to the railing opposite the door, with the courtyard six storeys beneath, clasping his hands together as he leans against it, "This is probably a very personal question for me to ask you, Rei, so if you prefer not to answer it then I understand."

"Go on," she says, simply, and Shinji takes a breath, going over again in his head how he planned to phrase the question, "My mother and I talked earlier today about the incident with Unit-02... She said that the cause had been you, if not intentional, and... What I want to ask is, how? Mom said you're different somehow, and that's why the safeguards failed."

"Why do you want to know?" Rei asks back without as much as blinking. "Well," Shinji responds, instantly feeling cornered by Rei's red gaze even though he's supposed to be the one asking the questions, "The Evangelions worry me, how they always take control and... And besides, I'm just curious, to be honest... I-if it's a problem you ever want to talk about, or something."

This time Rei does blink, but not much more in the way of surprise. She averts her eyes from him for a moment as if choosing her words, and then says, "It's my AT field."

Shinji's eyes open wide, and he looks at Rei with an expression that's equal mix surprise, curiosity and even fear, "Your... AT field? You have one? Aren't only Angels and the Evangelions supposed to have those?"

"No," says Rei, "We all have them. They aren't some energy field that angelic lifeforms can generate, they are the physical manifestation of our individuality, the walls surrounding our egos. The light of our souls. For us humans, the AT fields keep us separate and holds our emotions and our thoughts within a bubble that no other person can enter. My 'problem' is that my AT field is very weak, and so I could not keep Unit-02 from simply pushing me out of the way and using _my_ mind as a bridge to the controls."

"Whoa..." says Shinji, looking as if someone's physically knocked the breath out of him, "That's... A lot to digest. So souls are real, and they all generate the AT fields that keep everyone's minds separate... Am I following?"

Rei nods, "Commander Ikari said that AT fields are the source of human loneliness, because it _feels_ like everyone should be able to just know what you think and yet they can't, because everyone is shut off to those around them. Humans live and die on empathy, and the desire for closeness to others, and yet you must struggle so very hard to break through to anyone."

"We've never been so many, yet we've never been so alone," Shinji mutters, looking a little overwhelmed by all that Rei's told him. She nods after considering the quote a moment, "Yes, that is one way of saying it."

"Hey you two, are you going to stay out there all night?" Misato calls from inside, and Rei quite unceremoniously turns and walks inside, nt saying a further word. Shinji follows her with his eyes until she's dissapeared into the apartment, wanting to ask a thousand more questions, but in the end he decides it's not _that_ important and he walks into the warmth after Rei.

 **End of chapter 14.**


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